"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 love the feeling when we lift off
Watching the world so small below
I love the dreaming when I think of
The safety in the clouds out my window
I wonder what keeps us so high up
Could there be a love beneath these wings?
If we suddenly fall should I scream out
Or keep very quite and cling to my mouth?
As I'm crying, so frightened of dying
Relax, yes, I'm trying
This fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
I love the quite of the night time
When the sun is drowning in the deathly sea
I can feel my heart beating as I speed from
The sense of time catching up with me
The sky set out like a pathway
But who decides which route we take
As people drift into a dream world
I close my eyes as my hands shake
And when I see a new day
Who's driving this anyway
I picture my own grave 'cause fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Floating neither up or down
I wonder when I'll hit the ground
Well, the earth beneath my body shake
And cast your sleeping hearts awake
Could it tremble stars from moon light skies?
Could it drag a tear from your cold eyes?
I live on the right side, I sleep in the left
That's why everything's gotta be love or death
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Watching the world so small below
I love the dreaming when I think of
The safety in the clouds out my window
I wonder what keeps us so high up
Could there be a love beneath these wings?
If we suddenly fall should I scream out
Or keep very quite and cling to my mouth?
As I'm crying, so frightened of dying
Relax, yes, I'm trying
This fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
I love the quite of the night time
When the sun is drowning in the deathly sea
I can feel my heart beating as I speed from
The sense of time catching up with me
The sky set out like a pathway
But who decides which route we take
As people drift into a dream world
I close my eyes as my hands shake
And when I see a new day
Who's driving this anyway
I picture my own grave 'cause fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Floating neither up or down
I wonder when I'll hit the ground
Well, the earth beneath my body shake
And cast your sleeping hearts awake
Could it tremble stars from moon light skies?
Could it drag a tear from your cold eyes?
I live on the right side, I sleep in the left
That's why everything's gotta be love or death
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me
Lyrics submitted by cosinewave, edited by Alieno
Death Lyrics as written by Denis Leary
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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It's funny that many people can drag out love in every song... It can be, but it can also be him describing himself to us, the people who listen to his song, telling stuff, how he looks at things. I love that in the beginning he questions certain things like death, life, and how in the end he seems to have found an answer :
I live on the right side, I sleep on the left That's why everything has got to be love or death
Also:
I close my eyes as my hands shake and when I see a new day
Could it be about meeting new people? A new day... A new beginning? It sounds like the start of something new Well, I'm not certain of the meaning but I'll just wait for an interview Love this song, it's light but the lyrics can be seen as heavy since he's talking about death but the way he sings is it, it's like he's found peace in death and also acceptation.
the first verse describes the singers feelings as he takes off in a plane which is used also as a metaphor for how he feels as he is falling in love. Theres a duality between his fear of flying and his fear of falling in love because to him the experience of a plane crashing is comparable to breaking up. i love this song!
i think this song is just about being afraid of death. (although gimghamgoddess had a very good point about the first verse)
he says "As people drift into a dream world i close my eyes as my hand shake", when he tries to sleep instead of dreaming he thinks about death and gets scared.
"as I speed from, The sense of time catching up with me" i think that means that he wasted so much time being afraid of death.
"Floating neither up or down" could be about the heaven/hell thing.
"Could it drag a tear from your cold eyes?" he's thinking about after he dies would people be sad.
i'm absolutely useless at interpreting lyrics but i heard harry(the main singer) say it was about death and the whole album was so i thought i'd give it a go.
YES THIS SONGS GOT A HOLD ON ME, how good are these lyrics, especially........... i live on the right side i sleep in the left thats why everythings got to be love or death
GinghamGoddess, i like how you see this as him falling in love. I always felt that he was on the verge of falling OUT of love.. like when you're in a relationship, and you begin to realize that your moving from "in love" to "love" to it being over.
And its the scariest thing, because part of you wants to stay there -- comfortable in the plane, revelling in the "safety in the clouds out [the] window", the safety of the known. That's what I got from him wondering what's keeping them going -- is it love? or something else...
And when he says "I love the quiet of the night time, when the sun is drowned in the deathly sea"... I took it as he enjoys the peace they finally get when they can just sleep, their problems temporarily on hold.
But he knows morning will come and their problems, the impending end, will still be there -- his heart is "beating as [he] speeds from the sense of time catching up with [him]".
They can't keep faking it; hence the talk of who's directing the flight -- its him sort of facing his fear and realizing he needs to take control of the destination and end it. And he asks will she even care -- "Could it drag a tear from your cold eyes?"
I love the line "I live on the right side, I sleep on the left / thats why everything has got to be love or death." It ends with him realizing he needs to make a choice -- he can't stay just stay in plane; the fear has a hold of him and he will choose death, despite the fear and consequences.
But it could definitely be about falling in love too! :)
Wow, I think you have nailed it on the head.<br /> <br /> Good Work, Good Times
It's about anxiety
@mike115711 absolutely bang on. No other song I’ve heard describes it better. Perfection.
I just found out about White Lies. I was browsing wiki to find out what was this year's line-up for T In The Park. And i didn't knew who they were, so I did some research and found some vids on YouTube. From the very moment I loved them. Can't wait for the album, I think they're great.
saw them for the first time on tv. such a great song.
and this song is about erm fear?
I take the song as the title implies... I think its about death and the unknowns about death...
Hey,
more exact lyrics (a few words changed, etc.)
Death by White Lies
I love the feeling when we lift off watching the world so small below. I love the dreaming when I think of the saftey in the clouds out my window. I wonder what keeps us so high up, could there be a love beneth these wings? If we suddenly fall should i scream out or keep very quiet and cling to my mouth as i'm crying, so frightened of dying? Relax? Yes, I'm trying but fear's got a hold on me.
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me.
I love the quiet of the night time when the sun is drowned in the deathly sea. I can feel my heart beating as i speed from the sense of time catching up with me. The sky set out like a pathway but who decides which route we take? As people drift into a dream world, I close my eyes as my hands shake and when I see a new day... Who's driving this anyway? I picture my own grave, cause fear's got a hold on me.
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me.
Floating neither up or down I wonder when I'll hit the ground. Will the earth beneath my body shake and cast your sleeping hearts awake? Could it tremble stars from moonlit skies? Could it drag a tear from your cold eyes? I live on the right side, I sleep on the left thats why everything has got to be love or death.
Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's got a hold on me. Yes, this fear's...