"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.
I see the cold mist in the night
And watch the hills roll out of sight
I watch in every single way,
Inside out, outside in, every day
The sun can warm the coldest dawn
And move the movement on the lawn
I learn in every single day,
Inside out, outside in, every way
And there you are,
Making it up but you're sure that it is a star,
And boy you'll see
It's an illusion shining down in front of me,
And then you'll say
Even in time we shall control the day,
When what you'll see
Deep inside base controlling you and me
And one peculiar point I see,
As one of many ones of me
As truth is gathered, I rearrange,
Inside out, outside in, inside out, outside in,
Perpetual change
And there you are,
Saying we have the moon, so now the stars,
When all you see
Is near disaster gazing down on you and me,
And there you're standing,
Saying we have the whole world in our hands,
When all you'll see,
Deep inside the world's controlling you and me
You'll see perpetual change
You'll see perpetual change
And there you are,
Making it up but you're sure that it is a star,
And boy you'll see
It's an illusion shining down in front of me,
And then you'll say
Even in time we shall control the day,
When all you'll see
Deep inside base controlling you and me
As mist and sun are both the same,
We look on as pawns of their game
They move to testify the day,
Inside out, outside in, inside out, outside in,
All of the way
Ah, ah
And watch the hills roll out of sight
I watch in every single way,
Inside out, outside in, every day
The sun can warm the coldest dawn
And move the movement on the lawn
I learn in every single day,
Inside out, outside in, every way
And there you are,
Making it up but you're sure that it is a star,
And boy you'll see
It's an illusion shining down in front of me,
And then you'll say
Even in time we shall control the day,
When what you'll see
Deep inside base controlling you and me
And one peculiar point I see,
As one of many ones of me
As truth is gathered, I rearrange,
Inside out, outside in, inside out, outside in,
Perpetual change
And there you are,
Saying we have the moon, so now the stars,
When all you see
Is near disaster gazing down on you and me,
And there you're standing,
Saying we have the whole world in our hands,
When all you'll see,
Deep inside the world's controlling you and me
You'll see perpetual change
You'll see perpetual change
And there you are,
Making it up but you're sure that it is a star,
And boy you'll see
It's an illusion shining down in front of me,
And then you'll say
Even in time we shall control the day,
When all you'll see
Deep inside base controlling you and me
As mist and sun are both the same,
We look on as pawns of their game
They move to testify the day,
Inside out, outside in, inside out, outside in,
All of the way
Ah, ah
Lyrics submitted by asspennies
Perpetual Change Lyrics as written by Chris Squire Jon Anderson
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It seems that this song is about man's belief that we can control life, the universe, and everything, when in fact we're only a part something bigger that is beyond out power to control and ever-changing along in its own cycles and paths. The person who mentioned the moon landing as a possible inspiration is probably spot-on: "And there you are/saying we have the moon, so now the stars".
It's terrible that this song is so unknown. I'm a big fan of Yes, but I'd never heard it until picking up the LP at a community garage sale last weekend. It's suddenly become my favorite Yes tune of all.
@zeng8r Same interpretation here. But "terrible" is that you got to know this song so late. This album was, in middle '80s, my first progressive rock (well, I knew Floyd, before, but that doesn't count as real progressive rock as I regard), and this is my favorite song from that day to the present.
Jon Anderson is a prophet... I don´t understand the meaning of perpetual change, but that doesn´t mean I don´t love these lyrics. You´ll see perpetual change! It´s so wonderful that it just doesn´t need to heve meanings... And this song represents a perpetual change in their style, leaving the simpler compositions, and starting to make marvelous epics.
Maybe about growing up..... a person or generation taking over to 'control the day' but finding 'the world contolling you and me'. Musing about being part of the universe? Another brilliant Yessong.
I love the song - too bad they stopped playing it after Bill left - and I've got to agree about the live take on Yessongs. In much of their best work there's a kind of ecstatic lifting feeling, up into the sky or into an inner centre of freedom and joy, and the final five or six minutes of the live take exude just that. There really is a feeling of cosmic dance, propelled by those multiple rhythms that layer effortlessly over each other. The stretch after about 9:35 when it turns more quiet, then anticipating, then Bruford is picking up, pacing the beat upwards and then they break into (10:25) this "big wheel"-like crescendo - that turn is pure ecstasy in a religious sense, jubilant love and joy. The polyrhythmic quality and the feeling of cosmic light makes me think of Sibelius' fifth symphony, first movement, which was played on the BBC in the live broadcast of the first moon landing in 1969 (and which they might well have heard...)
@tinderbox I too have find the Yessongs live version uplifting and moving. Jon Anderson is a big Sibelius fan so you may be right about the influence. There is a new official live version on Like It Is - Live at the Bristol Hippodrome, which feels smaller and less ambitious but still has extra energy compared to the studio version.
Correction: And then you'll say, even in time we shall control the day. When all you'll see, deep inside THE DAY'S controlling you and me.
I don't know why it reads "base controlling you and me" ...maybe I'm wrong or I'm missing something but it makes sense my way lol
This songs meaning to me: Perpetual Change, taken literally, refers to change that goes on forever. We think we have control over the changes in our lives when in reality, we don't because when we adapt to the change it changes again and again and again.... perpetual
Energy is the cause of change, things are not constant, so let's use more Present Continuous Tense
THE SUN CAN WARM THE COLDEST DAWN AND MOVE THE MOVEMENT ON THE LAWN. the energy contained in the sun is the cause of change it changes temperature and causes wind
AND THERE YOU ARE, MAKING IT UP BUT YOU'RE SURE THAT IT IS A STAR, ... IT'S AN ILLUSION SHINING DOWN IN FRONT OF ME, the Sun is something more than just a star
WHEN ALL YOU'LL SEE, DEEP INSIDE THE DAY'S CONTROLLING YOU AND ME. the Sun (in the middle of the day we're the closest, it's the easiest to see), is controlling people.
AS ONE OF MANY ONES OF ME. I am changing all the time, it is wrong to see a person as a noun, there are many "me"s, always changing, always showing different aspects
AND ONE PECULIAR POINT I SEE ... ,AS TRUTH IS GATHERED, I REARRANGE, INSIDE OUT, OUTSIDE IN, INSIDE OUT, OUTSIDE IN, PERPETUAL CHANGE. I try to see things from many perspectives, not just from my point of view
AND THERE YOU'RE STANDING, SAYING WE HAVE THE WHOLE WORLD IN OUR HANDS, ..... AND THEN YOU'LL SAY EVEN IN TIME WE SHALL CONTROL THE DAY,
WHEN ALL YOU'LL SEE, DEEP INSIDE THE WORLD'S CONTROLLING YOU AND ME. People are not as strong as all this change-causing energy, so let's not be so sure we're in control here. Let's just accept we're verbs, heh.
@zamiast Awesome interpretation!
Maybe about growing up..... a person or generation taking over to 'control the day' but finding 'the world contolling you and me'. Musing about being part of the universe? Another brilliant Yessong.
theres a large section of instrumentals on the yessongs version of this song and everytime i listen to it i always imagine flying around the sky and then at the emotional crescendo is when i soar up all the way towards space very fast.im pretty sure thats what steve howe wanted you to imagine, it was very very vivid
I love the song - too bad they stopped playing it after Bill left - and I've got to agree about the live take on Yessongs. In much of their best work there's a kind of ecstatic lifting feeling, up into the sky or into an inner centre of freedom and joy, and the final five or six minutes of the live take exude just that. There really is a feeling of cosmic dance, propelled by those multiple rhythms that layer effortlessly over each other. The stretch after about 9:35 when it turns more quiet, then anticipating, then Bruford is picking up, pacing the beat upwards and then they break into (10:25) this "big wheel"-like crescendo - that turn is pure ecstasy in a religious sense, jubilant love and joy. The polyrhythmic quality and the feeling of cosmic light makes me think of Sibelius' fifth symphony, first movement, which was played on the BBC in the live broadcast of the first moon landing in 1969 (and which they might well have heard...)
Knowing what I know now about liberal politics (which I do NOT happen to agree with), I see this song as a "perpetual change" for radical liberalism. "Inside out, outside in" those who are familiar with the "top down, bottom up, inside, out" strategy that radical liberals are using to create a new world order. Radicals from the 60's and 70's said that there would be a slow, or "perpetual" change. "The day's controlling you and me" and the "world's controlling you and me" and "move the movement on the lawn". To me these all have to do with radical liberalism. Brilliant for that time, because if you look back at these lyrics, they really are prophetic.