"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.
Some philosophies fuel the belief in the self
Constructed to keep one's goods on one's own shelf
Built well, you're a strong letter I
With your feet on the ground and your head to the sky
Now and then you can bend
It's okay to lean over, lean over my way
You fear that you can't do it all
And you're right
Even day takes relief every day
from its work making light from the night
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
You're not a baby if you feel the world
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
Constructed to keep one's goods on one's own shelf
Built well, you're a strong letter I
With your feet on the ground and your head to the sky
Now and then you can bend
It's okay to lean over, lean over my way
You fear that you can't do it all
And you're right
Even day takes relief every day
from its work making light from the night
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
You're not a baby if you feel the world
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
Of course I'll put my arm around you
And I'll walk you outside
Through the sliding doors
Why would I mind?
All of the babies they can feel the world
That's why they cry
And when you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
When you're holding me
We make a pair of parentheses
There's plenty space to encase
Whatever weird way my mind goes
I know I'll be safe in these arms
Lyrics submitted by fancyashley
Parentheses Lyrics as written by Mikhaela Maricich Jonathan Warren Bechtolt
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Songtrust Ave, TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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I think this song is about a girl. I think the deli aisle comment isn't about anything specific. It's like "if anything ever just overwelms you, regardless of how simple, you can count on me to help you through it." My favorite part is the "why would i mind?". In this made up scenario, it implies the girl in question asks "You don't mind?" Something about that i really like.