"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.
Remember when we had them all on the run
And the night we saw the midnight sun
Remember saying things like, "We'll sleep when we're dead"
And thinking this feeling was never gonna end
Remember when we had them all on the run
And the night we saw the midnight sun
Remember saying things like, "We'll sleep when we're dead"
And thinking this feeling was never gonna end
Remember that night you were already in bed
Said, "Fuck it" got up to drink with me instead
Gimme that naked new skin rush
Give me younger us
Gimme that you and me in a grave trust
Give me younger us
Gimme my girls running, love, wild and free
Give me younger us
Gimme my boys and I swimming through the streets
Give me younger us
Gimme that night you were already in bed
Said, "Fuck it" got up to drink with me instead
Gimme that naked new skin rush
Give me younger us
Gimme that you and me in a grave trust
Give me younger us
Gimme my girls running, love, wild and free
Give me younger us
Gimme my boys and I swimming through the streets
Give me younger us
Gimme that night you were already in bed
Said, "Fuck it" got up to drink with me instead
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
And the night we saw the midnight sun
Remember saying things like, "We'll sleep when we're dead"
And thinking this feeling was never gonna end
Remember when we had them all on the run
And the night we saw the midnight sun
Remember saying things like, "We'll sleep when we're dead"
And thinking this feeling was never gonna end
Remember that night you were already in bed
Said, "Fuck it" got up to drink with me instead
Gimme that naked new skin rush
Give me younger us
Gimme that you and me in a grave trust
Give me younger us
Gimme my girls running, love, wild and free
Give me younger us
Gimme my boys and I swimming through the streets
Give me younger us
Gimme that night you were already in bed
Said, "Fuck it" got up to drink with me instead
Gimme that naked new skin rush
Give me younger us
Gimme that you and me in a grave trust
Give me younger us
Gimme my girls running, love, wild and free
Give me younger us
Gimme my boys and I swimming through the streets
Give me younger us
Gimme that night you were already in bed
Said, "Fuck it" got up to drink with me instead
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Lyrics submitted by daviebyrne
Younger Us Lyrics as written by Brian Andrew King David Prowse
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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One thing that's always appealed to me about Japandroids' lyrics is that they have a certain naivete to them. So one of the best things about this song is that not only is it a "remember back when" song, but it SOUNDS like one. Not just the lyrics, but the song reminds me of the way songs used to make me feel when I was younger too.
nice work, almost correct i'd say. except it's "gimme that you and me to the grave trust". they want someone they can trust to take any secrets to the grave and keep them forever.
A very fast and fun song to listen to.
The song is pretty straight forward.
The song looks back to times passed when people were young and free. Simply no cares or worries.
I can imagine the song about two very young lovers (15-18) and how they had the "us against the world" mentality, and how they really believed they could win.
Then time passes and, as it happened with me personally, this attitude of "we'll sleep when we're dead" leaves when being hit with the "real world" like going to college, thinking of the future and all the things that really erase that "young and free" mentality that most young people have.
The song is sang from the perspective of someone who is already in the phase of "damn, looks like we can't really take on the world and be free forever", and they're screaming their wishes for those times when they thought those good feelings of staying up late, being in love, and taking on the world "would never end".
A very good, catchy song from the JPNDRD duo.
Never mind, here are the lyrics from the single that I just got in the mail:
Remember when we had them all on the run And the night we saw the midnight sun Remember saying things like 'we'll sleep when we're dead' And thinking this feeling was never going to end
Remember that night you were already in bed, Said 'fuck it', got up to drink with me instead
Give me that naked new skin rush Give me younger us Give me that you & me to the grave trust Give me younger us Give me my girls, learning love, wild and free Give me younger us Give me my boys and I, swimming through the streets Give me younger us
Japandroids make young-people music that you don't have be young to love; they've mastered the recipe of genuinely youthful and raw expression peppered with enough moments of maturity and emotional insight so that you feel young without feeling like you're too old to feel this young.
I think that's true of all their music, but obviously this song would be a good example. Gtilles089 is right, it's a song about growing up, but it feels totally young and raw, lyrically and also sonically.
Close, a few differences that I hear are:
"saw the midnight sun" in the first verse at least
"gimme my girls runnin' round wild and free" (?)
"gimme my boys are now spinnin' through the streets" (?)
Regardless, absolutely kickass song and in my opinion the best song they've done. Ordered the single on vinyl, pretty excited to get it here in a few weeks!
This song already makes me incredibly depressed about the fact that I am getting older, and simultaneously heart-wrenchingly nostalgic. Not so much for lovers as for friends.