"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.
Ah ah, ah ah
Ah ah, ah ah
You set my teeth on edge
You set my teeth on edge
You think you're a vegetable
Never come out of the fridge
see-see-see-cucumber
see-see-see-cabbage
see-see-see-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
Oh oh, oh oh
You are a dying breed
You are a dying breed
You once was an Inca
Now you're a Cherokee
see-see-see-cucumber
see-see-see-cabbage
see-see-see-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
(You kick it, kick it)
(Ow uh, ow uh)
(Ow uh, ow uh, ow uh)
Wait for me on the blue horizon
Blue horizon for everyone
Wait for me on a new horizon
New horizons for everyone
I want to be one times one with you
Oh oh
I want to be one times one with you
Oh oh
Ah ah, ahh
Ah ah, ahh
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
Inside out
Back to front
Upside down
All the way round
Round, round rounnd
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
Upside down
Inside out
Back to front
All the way round, down
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, dow
Ah ah, ah ah
You set my teeth on edge
You set my teeth on edge
You think you're a vegetable
Never come out of the fridge
see-see-see-cucumber
see-see-see-cabbage
see-see-see-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
Oh oh, oh oh
You are a dying breed
You are a dying breed
You once was an Inca
Now you're a Cherokee
see-see-see-cucumber
see-see-see-cabbage
see-see-see-cauliflower
Men on Mars
April showers
(You kick it, kick it)
(Ow uh, ow uh)
(Ow uh, ow uh, ow uh)
Wait for me on the blue horizon
Blue horizon for everyone
Wait for me on a new horizon
New horizons for everyone
I want to be one times one with you
Oh oh
I want to be one times one with you
Oh oh
Ah ah, ahh
Ah ah, ahh
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
Inside out
Back to front
Upside down
All the way round
Round, round rounnd
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
I've decided to wear my thorn of crowns
Upside down
Inside out
Back to front
All the way round, down
Down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down, dow
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I love this song. Just another great song on the album Ocean Rain! I really like the lines:
You set my teeth on edge. You think your invincible? Never come out of the fridge!
C-c-c-cucumber, C-c-c-cabbage, C-c-c-cauliflower, Memory's April Showers!
@drew29 Actually it's "you think you're a vegetable" which makes the next line, "never come out of the fridge" sublime and ridiculous all in one.
wtf? :P
hah, an innocent girl that caves in.. and guess who gets to wear the thorn of crowns? brilliant... love it!
kinky sex
Obviously, Ian is sharing his favorite cole slaw recipe with the world. It's yummy!
I thought it was:
you once was an Inca now you're a Cherokee
Another song Ian has said that doesn't have any particular meaning. He was playing with words and his own image. It was meant to be silly and poke fun at his press rep at the time as a doomy gloomy poet rocker who took himself too seriously. He thought it was pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain but of course, some in the press, still attacked him for writing stupid lyrics. And thus missing the point entirely. According to McCulloch anyway.