"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.
[butterfly]
one day..while I was sipping some groove juice I realised..that in the
span of time we're just babies..it's all relative, time is unreal.
we're just babies, we're just babies, man (x 4)
every man's a planet and the props are there to get it
insects roll together with the spirit in our orbit
life, it comes & goes and you do not punch a clock
I don't take shit for granted, I think of scott la rock
also of tyrel and battles at the borders
my cousins in the joint and the homeless grippin quarters
the forests are all shrinking, this deepens to my thinkin
don't cover up the nappy, be happy witcha kinkin!
dwellin, yes, you're dwellin as the norm is itty-bitty
figure eighty-fitty for a smidgen of the city
in the serengetti, be ready for a box
but beware of the shanks and the pistols and the glocks
if your peoples don't getcha, you still ain't off clean
the politicians' mask is worse than Hallowe'en
I write the funky scripts so you know I got to kick 'em
now tell me who's the vics and tell me who's the victim
chorus [butterfly]
what is really what is really what is really what:
- if the funk don't move your butt
- and if the box don't make you hot
- and if the cats don't dig the raps
- if your life ain't got no spice
- or if the guns just wreck your fun
- or if some shouts ain't in the house
- or if your crew ain't down with you
[ladybug]
peace, this is mecca the ladybug and I'm sayin though! what is really
what if I can't even get comfortable because the supreme court is,
like, all in my uterus?!
[doodlebug]
peace, this is cee-know the doodlebug and I want to say, what is what if
you can't walk through your hood with bert, ernie and sesame street
mossie trying to give the snuffleupagus.
[butterfly]
my father taught me jazz, all the peoples and the anthems
ate peanuts with the dizz and vibed with lionel hampton
now I'm swimming deep in the hip-hop with eclectics
now do we gots the power or is it getting hectic?
scribble swings the paddle at the mantel where I placed it
hip-hop grew from roots but some emcees never traced it
the oldjacks buckwild and some babies bore their fists
but the crew from outer space is here.....SHIT
we grew up digging styles of the fabulous fifth freddy
and scoping out for days crazy legs and rocksteady
now bleach is in the laundry, same old beats is handy
the label may okay it but radio won't play it
the censors are about so watch your mouth close your drapes
the legs that's in the boots is on the corner, watch your tape
making papes off the crust, for money and for lust
you're playing out the planets get slammed, trust!
you think it, see it, run it and slam it
they peep it, hear it, lynch it and ban it
it just ain't the haps if they know they can't control it
your grass be in the joint but they licked it and rolled it
so what? I'm sayin, what?!
chorus [butterfly]
what is really what is really what is really what:
- if the funk don't rule your cut?
- or if the streets don't dig your beats
- or if my man ain't fifty grand?
- or if the hoods don't think you're good?
- or if your church don't really work
- or if the pigs want to knock your wigs
- or if the jeeps don't roll with beats
[butterfly]
cause butterfly is..baby, I'm just a baby, man
I'm a baby, I'm just a baby, man
and mister doodle? (I'm just a baby too)
and miss mecca (I'm just a baby, man)
and mister silk, he's just a baby, too
and 801s, they just babies, man
and miss venus, she's just a baby, man
the ac-facts, they just a babies, man
and dps, they just a babies, too
oh and, dash, she's just a baby, man
danny and dani, they are my babies, man
oh and liz, she's just a baby, man
oh and stella, she's just a baby, man
doc shane, he's just a baby, man
mike mann, he's just my main man
and doctor timba, he's just a baby, man
and nappy jackie, she's just a baby, too
benefi-cent, he's just a baby, man
oh, and you? you're just a baby, man
one day..while I was sipping some groove juice I realised..that in the
span of time we're just babies..it's all relative, time is unreal.
we're just babies, we're just babies, man (x 4)
every man's a planet and the props are there to get it
insects roll together with the spirit in our orbit
life, it comes & goes and you do not punch a clock
I don't take shit for granted, I think of scott la rock
also of tyrel and battles at the borders
my cousins in the joint and the homeless grippin quarters
the forests are all shrinking, this deepens to my thinkin
don't cover up the nappy, be happy witcha kinkin!
dwellin, yes, you're dwellin as the norm is itty-bitty
figure eighty-fitty for a smidgen of the city
in the serengetti, be ready for a box
but beware of the shanks and the pistols and the glocks
if your peoples don't getcha, you still ain't off clean
the politicians' mask is worse than Hallowe'en
I write the funky scripts so you know I got to kick 'em
now tell me who's the vics and tell me who's the victim
chorus [butterfly]
what is really what is really what is really what:
- if the funk don't move your butt
- and if the box don't make you hot
- and if the cats don't dig the raps
- if your life ain't got no spice
- or if the guns just wreck your fun
- or if some shouts ain't in the house
- or if your crew ain't down with you
[ladybug]
peace, this is mecca the ladybug and I'm sayin though! what is really
what if I can't even get comfortable because the supreme court is,
like, all in my uterus?!
[doodlebug]
peace, this is cee-know the doodlebug and I want to say, what is what if
you can't walk through your hood with bert, ernie and sesame street
mossie trying to give the snuffleupagus.
[butterfly]
my father taught me jazz, all the peoples and the anthems
ate peanuts with the dizz and vibed with lionel hampton
now I'm swimming deep in the hip-hop with eclectics
now do we gots the power or is it getting hectic?
scribble swings the paddle at the mantel where I placed it
hip-hop grew from roots but some emcees never traced it
the oldjacks buckwild and some babies bore their fists
but the crew from outer space is here.....SHIT
we grew up digging styles of the fabulous fifth freddy
and scoping out for days crazy legs and rocksteady
now bleach is in the laundry, same old beats is handy
the label may okay it but radio won't play it
the censors are about so watch your mouth close your drapes
the legs that's in the boots is on the corner, watch your tape
making papes off the crust, for money and for lust
you're playing out the planets get slammed, trust!
you think it, see it, run it and slam it
they peep it, hear it, lynch it and ban it
it just ain't the haps if they know they can't control it
your grass be in the joint but they licked it and rolled it
so what? I'm sayin, what?!
chorus [butterfly]
what is really what is really what is really what:
- if the funk don't rule your cut?
- or if the streets don't dig your beats
- or if my man ain't fifty grand?
- or if the hoods don't think you're good?
- or if your church don't really work
- or if the pigs want to knock your wigs
- or if the jeeps don't roll with beats
[butterfly]
cause butterfly is..baby, I'm just a baby, man
I'm a baby, I'm just a baby, man
and mister doodle? (I'm just a baby too)
and miss mecca (I'm just a baby, man)
and mister silk, he's just a baby, too
and 801s, they just babies, man
and miss venus, she's just a baby, man
the ac-facts, they just a babies, man
and dps, they just a babies, too
oh and, dash, she's just a baby, man
danny and dani, they are my babies, man
oh and liz, she's just a baby, man
oh and stella, she's just a baby, man
doc shane, he's just a baby, man
mike mann, he's just my main man
and doctor timba, he's just a baby, man
and nappy jackie, she's just a baby, too
benefi-cent, he's just a baby, man
oh, and you? you're just a baby, man
Lyrics submitted by musicophilia
Examination of What Lyrics as written by Ishmael R. Butler Ishmael Butler
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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