"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.
Oh, my god!
Let's do this again
Let's do this again, again, again, again, again!
How come I can't stop kissing you?
I can't stop kissing you
Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man!
And I've got headaches filled with time
Those dizzy numbers, dizzy numbers
Pictures, papers, pencils, razors
Blankets, lipgloss, whiskers, whispers
Liz tries to whisper:
"Promise that you won't fall for me."
What's that?
Didn't hear you, too late
Too late, too late, too late
Guess what? I'm drunk
I thought I'd never write a love song again
Then again I guess I'll never again
Well, well... too late
I gotta write about what I don't write about
It's just like me to let me destroy myself
Not fair... well, well
Hey check it out:
I don't got flowers for you
But I got dinner plans
I got my right hand
Hand in hand
And hands with plans
Wine and words, my pens and plants
Come on, kids, and clap your hands
Come on, Liz... just one last dance
Please?
Now,
I let the bed bugs out
I feel the time run out
Wait,
Time out! Time out!
Now,
I guess you're leaving town
Gonna put my face back down
I'm no alchemist, face down
It hurts enough just to say your name
I'm so happy that we met all the same
Black cat's mustache, ambiguous bowls
Last thing we ever wanted was somebody to hold her
We're not to blame
It happened just as soon as you said to your name
"Hi, my name is Liz, I think we should dance
Let's toast to happy endings and giving this a chance"
Let's do this again
Let's do this again, again, again, again, again!
How come I can't stop kissing you?
I can't stop kissing you
Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man!
And I've got headaches filled with time
Those dizzy numbers, dizzy numbers
Pictures, papers, pencils, razors
Blankets, lipgloss, whiskers, whispers
Liz tries to whisper:
"Promise that you won't fall for me."
What's that?
Didn't hear you, too late
Too late, too late, too late
Guess what? I'm drunk
I thought I'd never write a love song again
Then again I guess I'll never again
Well, well... too late
I gotta write about what I don't write about
It's just like me to let me destroy myself
Not fair... well, well
Hey check it out:
I don't got flowers for you
But I got dinner plans
I got my right hand
Hand in hand
And hands with plans
Wine and words, my pens and plants
Come on, kids, and clap your hands
Come on, Liz... just one last dance
Please?
Now,
I let the bed bugs out
I feel the time run out
Wait,
Time out! Time out!
Now,
I guess you're leaving town
Gonna put my face back down
I'm no alchemist, face down
It hurts enough just to say your name
I'm so happy that we met all the same
Black cat's mustache, ambiguous bowls
Last thing we ever wanted was somebody to hold her
We're not to blame
It happened just as soon as you said to your name
"Hi, my name is Liz, I think we should dance
Let's toast to happy endings and giving this a chance"
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Fast Car
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
it should be "last thing we ever wanted was somebody to hold. word"
this is one of my favorite songs..i love the trophy scars
I'm pretty sure that "word" is suppoused to be a "her". It would make a lot more sense that way too.
I think it's just Jerry falling in love with someone he shouldn't be with. "'Promise that you won't fall for me.' What's that?" She even tells him to not get to close to her 'cause she knows it'll end badly but he does it anyways. By doing this, he says "It's just like me to let me destroy myself" because he knew what he was getting into. Near the end of the song, he still is happy that they met and shared feelings for each other, even if he's hurt this much.
How about not worrying about that so much and the meaning...
This song is rediculously deep.
"Pictures, papers, pencils, razors Blankets, lipgloss, whiskers, whispers" This is all the shit he's going/ went through. Memories, Statements, Rumors, self infliction.
The rest is pretty obvious, she leaves and he did what she asked him not to: "Promise that you won't fall for me."
Word.
Haha.
I agree with ItsJorge very much here.
However i thought it was "Picture, papers, pencils, erasers" as in he's writing the words then erasing them.. a common side effect of trying to pen down his emotional status.
Lots more typical TS reference to drugs, in particular weed in this song.. "Wine and words, my pens and plants"
Jerrys dealing with, or at least attempting to deal with his feelings for Liz. Shes a recurring name that appears within his works.. People that know Trophy Scars on a more personal level may be able to shed a little more light onto this.. It's difficult for me to have a personal insight when i live all the way across the altlantic in the UK.
More comments please!
KWahDB
lmao, i like that--"ambiguous bowls". crafty wordplay, jerry.