"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.
Father, I know that you've witnessed a darkness in me
'Twas spawned in shadows of the old gallows tree
I'm but a sad depraved reflection of our inhumanity
The warped exaggeration of the lost and darkest of dreams
Bring forth a wrath of cleansing fire
Here now in mankind's bleakest hour
Born of a casket I'm the heir to a corpse
I've eyes that see maggots through the thin flesh they bore
I shall bloody my hands 'til the last breath be torn from me
So blindly we walk the winds of these plagued streets
Dead, the once feeling part of me
Oh lord divine, please break this silence
Destroy your race of faceless liars
At the edge of existence
We the clays of intention have ripened in your image
Ah, the binds of tradition
Your archaic deception numbs our empty beings
City that stands on a million graves
In a world full of hatred to fear enslaved
Countless the dead slaughtered in your name
Not a utter of your voice have you once repaid
No above, no below, just a man letting go
When all my earthly desire is disowned
No screaming sirens should sound
No revelations profound
Simply lowered into the ground
That's just what I'll be dead in the dirt
So blindly we walk the winds of these plagued streets
Dead, the once feeling part of me
Bring forth a wrath of cleansing fire
Here now in mankind's bleakest hour
Oh lord divine, please break this silence
Destroy your race of faceless liars
Necropolis
'Twas spawned in shadows of the old gallows tree
I'm but a sad depraved reflection of our inhumanity
The warped exaggeration of the lost and darkest of dreams
Bring forth a wrath of cleansing fire
Here now in mankind's bleakest hour
Born of a casket I'm the heir to a corpse
I've eyes that see maggots through the thin flesh they bore
I shall bloody my hands 'til the last breath be torn from me
So blindly we walk the winds of these plagued streets
Dead, the once feeling part of me
Oh lord divine, please break this silence
Destroy your race of faceless liars
At the edge of existence
We the clays of intention have ripened in your image
Ah, the binds of tradition
Your archaic deception numbs our empty beings
City that stands on a million graves
In a world full of hatred to fear enslaved
Countless the dead slaughtered in your name
Not a utter of your voice have you once repaid
No above, no below, just a man letting go
When all my earthly desire is disowned
No screaming sirens should sound
No revelations profound
Simply lowered into the ground
That's just what I'll be dead in the dirt
So blindly we walk the winds of these plagued streets
Dead, the once feeling part of me
Bring forth a wrath of cleansing fire
Here now in mankind's bleakest hour
Oh lord divine, please break this silence
Destroy your race of faceless liars
Necropolis
Lyrics submitted by Fantastic_Stu
Necropolis Lyrics as written by Ryan Knight Brian Eschbach
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
This song seems to me like sort of.. an abandonment of religion "Dead the once feeling part of me" Like he's going through a rough time, and turned to religion, but god wont have a physical or verbal response to it "Father I know that you've witnessed a darkness in me"
He seems to be angry at god for not being an active physical part of life "Your archaic deception numbs our empty beings" "Countless the dead slaughtered in your name Not a utter of your voice have you once repaid" Like he just wants a response from god for reassurance, and as a justification of the amount of people that have been killed in his name
"No above no below just a man letting go When all my earthly desire is disowned No screaming sirens should sound No revelations profound Simply lowered into the ground That's just what I'll, be dead in the dirt" This verse seems to say that there's no heaven or hell, just him letting go of the concept of an afterlife And instead of going to heaven or hell when he dies, he'll just be buried in the dirt
I think "Necropolis" is his vision of an afterlife, just a city of people buried. And there's no heaven and hell as he's lost faith in religion because of god's "silence" "O' lord, divine, please break this silence" Sort of like he doesn't want to lose faith in god, but because of his "silence" and physical absence he's slowly losing faith
Such an amazing song
fucking seriously dude this comment just gave me goosebumps
sick song, sick album.
just can't wait for all the correct lyrics to come up!
This song is so brutal I have to say one my favorites from the new album next to Black Valor guitar solo is pretty epic.<br /> I definitely need money to buy the CD.
it is the correct lyrics. unless theyve changed them since you posted
It seems this song has sort of an atheist feel to it "No above no below just a man letting go" Like theres no heaven nor hell its just a man ceasing to be alive and once hes in the ground its done. My favorite off the new album.
He does mention things like "O, lord, divine" and "Father, I know," but he's obviously not talking about the Christian God... I would think it's more Satanic, rather than Atheist, but he also says, "No above, no below," which means there's no heaven, AND no hell... So in a way, it's kind of confusing.
Kind of late but I dont see how its obvious its not the Christian God. I dont think its Satanic as Satan is not a divine entity. It would make perfect sense if it were God because the song talks about how we walk blind to al lthe problems with our world and God never intervenes and when he is called upon to destroy the race of faceless liars which is obviously mankind.
As far as I know, none of the members of TBDM are religious, so I don't think it's because he doesn't want to loose faith in any god(s).
Their faith has nothing to do with it<br /> It's a song after all<br /> Most of their songs have a religious theme anyway<br /> Denouncing god, attacking the church etc.<br /> <br /> And that was my interpretation anyway, that seemed the most obvious to me when I read the lyrics
Well, it seems that Trevor often writes from the perspective of other (often fictional) people in order to raise feelings of disgust in the audience, or just to bring up certain aspects of an issue that people wouldn't necessarily think about on their own. So, even though none of them may be religious, he COULD be writing from the perspective of someone who is religious.
O' lord divine please break this silence Destroy your race of faceless liars
key lines here, the person who is asking is obviously tired of war in the 'name of god'.
Countless the dead slaughtered in your name Not a utter of your voice have you once repaid
although so many people have died in 'his' name, he has not responded to one of their prayers. He has last his faith, the "Dead the once feeling part of me" is his faith.
This song could also be about a person who cannot pass on after his death. Who is trapped to journey the EArth for all eternity as only a shade of a man. And his Earth is a dead city (literal translation of necropolis) He became that way in the shadow of the tree he was buried under. Because of his torture of being a shade of a man he begins to lose faith and trust in God/other deity. However, he does ask for God to destroy our race, because of his chance to reflect on who we really are, and he sees up as a bunch of faceless liars. And after the apocalypse he will still be just a corpse buried in the ground.
So I think Im either complete spot on with that, OR way off.
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? -Epicurus
If there is a God, and indeed he does exist in the minds of the weak, sad, pathetic wretches that live for death and reject truth as a fantasy, that God is a total douche, weak, and simply man-made. We that control our perceptions are god and the only flawless thing is oblivion... and assorted depressive intoxicants 8D
I bring up my children to be good, and respect others... and if one day one of them goes and hurts someone, will it be my fault? <br /> We all have a conscious, we all know good from evil because of our premortal life where we too were taught by God, our father and creator. We have a free agency but we are not free of the consequences. There will come a time where all the wrong done to people will be compensated. <br />
This song, as Strnad said himself, is about "jesus not existing, and you will all be dead in the dirt an loving it". With that said, the song probably takes place in the crusades because of the line "countless the slaughtered in your name", which obviously refers to a holy war. The narrator seems to be a poor peasant who feels his bad luck is from God not being satisfied with his life. He decides to fight in the crusades, probably as a way to gain God's good will, with the promise "I shall bloody my hands 'til the last breath be torn from me". Fighting in the war only makes him feel more hopeless about life when he sees all the death and agony caused by the war. In desperation he cries out for god to end the war by destroying the enemy, who presumably believe in the false religion. Obviously nothing happens, and after witnessing people die in the name of his religion without any help of God, he loses all hope in his religion, saying ironically that the afterlife that he now looks forward to is his ultimate death in the ground, where he will join his fallen comrades in the "necropolis".
Oie, Jesus lives, he's my best friend!
He's my best friend too! Although we call each other BFF's since we're just a couple of goof balls.