"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.
Ramblin', where to begin?
I taste the summer on your peppery skin
Been saved, the warm of the waves
I felt a slip into a watery grave
My girl, linen and curls
Lips parting like a flag all unfurled
She's grand, the bend of her hand
Digging deep into the sweep of the sand
And summer arrives with a length of lights
And summer blows away
And quietly, it gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
Waylay, the din of the day
Boats bobbing in the blue of the bay
In deep far beneath
All the dead sailors slowly slipping to sleep
My girl, linen and curls
Lips parting like a flag all unfurled
She's grand, the bend of her hand
Digging deep into the sweep of the sand
And summer arrives with a length of lights
And summer blows away
And quietly, it gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
I taste the summer on your peppery skin
Been saved, the warm of the waves
I felt a slip into a watery grave
My girl, linen and curls
Lips parting like a flag all unfurled
She's grand, the bend of her hand
Digging deep into the sweep of the sand
And summer arrives with a length of lights
And summer blows away
And quietly, it gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
Waylay, the din of the day
Boats bobbing in the blue of the bay
In deep far beneath
All the dead sailors slowly slipping to sleep
My girl, linen and curls
Lips parting like a flag all unfurled
She's grand, the bend of her hand
Digging deep into the sweep of the sand
And summer arrives with a length of lights
And summer blows away
And quietly, it gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
It gets swallowed by a wave
Lyrics submitted by coldengrey
Summersong Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I can definitely see the boat interpretation. I think though that he's be telling the story of his survival of the shipwreck to his girl here.
"Rambling, where to begin?" He doesn't know how to start telling his story.
"I tasted summer on your peppery skin" He's talking to his girl (who has a good amount of freckles, and he's referencing the brevity of time(see chorus)).
"Been saved, the warm of the waves" He's telling her that he was rescued from the sea.
"I felt a slip into a watery grave" Just as he was begining to slip away.
"My girl, linen and curls" He's making sure he has the attention of his girl, then begins telling his tale. Linen sails (I saw someone was unsure of linen sails so... bruzelius.info/Nautica/Rigging/Sails/Linen-sails.html ) A curl can be used as a term for rope.
"Lips parting like a flag all unfurled" Lips is indeed a Greek god, and his abandonment is like that of a flag unfurled.
"She’s grand, the bend of her hand" A grand ship. Hand=Bow?
"Digging deep into the sweep of the sand" Bow(?) hitting the sand.
"Waylaid, the din of the day Boats bobbing in the blue of the bay" They're in the harbor at a busy time of a beautiful day and are being waylaid by something. Perhaps the conversation or the beauty of the bay?
"In deep, far beneath All the dead sailors slowly slipping to sleep" And, of course, all of his unlucky shipmates that didn't make it.
"And summer arrives with a length of light And summer blows away and quietly gets swallowed by a wave" Summer always seems to pass much more quickly than it should. Here he's realized the brevity of time and how quickly things can be stolen right from under your nose. Life; he almost drowned from a shipwreck. Love; he can already taste the summer on his girl's skin. He simply hoping that the love he has won't disappear like his life almost did.