"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Papa died smiling
Wide as the ring of a bell
Gone all star white
Small as a wish in a well
And Sodom, South Georgia
Woke like a tree full of bees
Buried in Christmas bows
And a blanket of weeds
Papa died Sunday and I understood
All dead white boys say, God is good
White tongues hang out, God is good
Papa died while my girl
Lady Edith was born
Both heads fell like
Eyes on a crack in the door
And Sodom, South Georgia
Slept on an acre of bones
Slept through Christmas
Slept like a bucket of snow
Papa died Sunday and I understood
All dead white boys say, God is good
White tongues hang out, God is good
Wide as the ring of a bell
Gone all star white
Small as a wish in a well
And Sodom, South Georgia
Woke like a tree full of bees
Buried in Christmas bows
And a blanket of weeds
Papa died Sunday and I understood
All dead white boys say, God is good
White tongues hang out, God is good
Papa died while my girl
Lady Edith was born
Both heads fell like
Eyes on a crack in the door
And Sodom, South Georgia
Slept on an acre of bones
Slept through Christmas
Slept like a bucket of snow
Papa died Sunday and I understood
All dead white boys say, God is good
White tongues hang out, God is good
Lyrics submitted by feverdream
Sodom, South Georgia Lyrics as written by Samuel Ervin Beam
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Hmm...i've been listening to this song for many hours now... and i've read over all of your comments, but i'd like to offer a different perspective.
papa died.... it seems that the father in this song may have been very devout, the words bell, white, and wishing well are all associated with things pure... (I realize wishing well is a stretch, but think of a child's facsination with them, that type of unjaded thought)
and sodom, south georgia .... I think the title of the song here is very important, "woke like a tree full of bees" - the town, woke up just as busy as ever, never stopping to think of what may come when they actually pass away, and "buried in christmas bows and a blanket of weeds" suggests that they(general people) don't think of the consequence of thier lives because they feel they are good people ... they celebrate christmas (at least on the outside) but the blanket of weeds suggest to me that they forgot the meaning of the holiday a long ago ... and the singer is lamenting this...
papa died sunday and I understood .... the significance of sunday here suggests that what the singer is understanding is what he feels the town is missing, that there are consequences to this life and there is more to the picture than merely surviving...
all dead white boys say "god is good" ... all white tongues hang out "god is good" ... this again is seems to be a picture of outward christianity (presumably, this is south georgia) ... all dead white boys seems to be sarcastic... all "spiritually dead" but outwardly pure walk around saying cliche things like "god is good" (we've all met them?). same deal with the tombstones... it's an outward show ...
papa died while my girl lady edith was born ... both heads fell like eyes on a crack in the door .... continuation of life, and possibly a reference to the passing of sin from generations to the next (to follow along the theme of the singer beginning to understand life's perdicament) ((very powerful imagery))
and back to "sodom, south georgia" "slept on an acre of bones, slept through christmas" suggests that most likely all of the people of the town have had similiar experiences as that of the singer... but after a little while, and or feeling very "spiritual" because of ritual things like christmas ... the people lose the truth and continue to spiritually sleep through christmas.. (christmas in the tune seems to refer to the whole of jesus focused christianity.. not just the holiday as we know it) ...
i like the word resignation (broken-hallelujah) to describe the mood here... in a time of such confusion and pain, and being faced with realization of the human condition it is hard to not feel helpless and thus resigned ....
anyway, i'm not sure if that will come off as clear as i would have hoped, and forgive any spelling errors, i just plowed through .. hehe... i should be studying for finals... if you have any questions feel free to contact me , or post here ... let me know what you think ... it's a great song.