"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.
Papa had a wife and kids he kept them on a leash
And he bid them all to do his every deed
When he was a kid he was treated just the same
So he hid his feelings from his family
Lost as an island out at sea,
Resistant to the gentle waves of empathy
Papa and his family always on parade
Tearing through the turnstiles, a weekenders charade
But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell
What they created was a family story no one will tell
It's a photo album too terrible
But the pride and the pallor
Continue to swell as the matron silently prays
Junior resented the tradition they upheld
And it ate him up inside most every day
Silence was golden and they kept him to his word
So bewildered when he finally ran away
Oh, obligations never cease
Oblivious of the ways to give his soul some peace
Yeah, papa and his family always on parade
Passing through the turnstiles, a weekenders charade
But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell
What they created was a family story no one will tell
It's a photo album too terrible
But the pride and the pallor continue
To swell as the matron silently prays
"Get me out of here, someone's got to save the day."
The children are reminded to do it for the daddy's sake
And happiness is ever so far, far away.
Yeah, lost as an island out at sea,
Resistant to the gentle waves of empathy
Papa and his family always on parade
Tearing through the turnstiles, a weekenders charade
It's just a sick calamity that fatherhood made,
But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell
What they created was a family story no one will tell
It's a photo album too terrible
But the pride and the pallor
Continue to swell as the matron silently prays
And he bid them all to do his every deed
When he was a kid he was treated just the same
So he hid his feelings from his family
Lost as an island out at sea,
Resistant to the gentle waves of empathy
Papa and his family always on parade
Tearing through the turnstiles, a weekenders charade
But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell
What they created was a family story no one will tell
It's a photo album too terrible
But the pride and the pallor
Continue to swell as the matron silently prays
Junior resented the tradition they upheld
And it ate him up inside most every day
Silence was golden and they kept him to his word
So bewildered when he finally ran away
Oh, obligations never cease
Oblivious of the ways to give his soul some peace
Yeah, papa and his family always on parade
Passing through the turnstiles, a weekenders charade
But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell
What they created was a family story no one will tell
It's a photo album too terrible
But the pride and the pallor continue
To swell as the matron silently prays
"Get me out of here, someone's got to save the day."
The children are reminded to do it for the daddy's sake
And happiness is ever so far, far away.
Yeah, lost as an island out at sea,
Resistant to the gentle waves of empathy
Papa and his family always on parade
Tearing through the turnstiles, a weekenders charade
It's just a sick calamity that fatherhood made,
But time will tell, as their world crumbles to hell
What they created was a family story no one will tell
It's a photo album too terrible
But the pride and the pallor
Continue to swell as the matron silently prays
Lyrics submitted by BatteryLegion
Pride and the Pallor Lyrics as written by Greg Graffin Brett W. Gurewitz
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"'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."
Just A Little Lovin'
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"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
American Town
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Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
This is the first song on Dissent of Man that really jumped out at me.
There is no question in my mind that this song is about alcoholism. People who have grown up in homes affected by alcoholism will agree.
Several lines speak to me as an adult child of an alcoholic, who was himself and adult child. Alcoholism is a family disease and this song speaks to that.
<i>When he was a kid he was treated just the same so he hid his feelings from the family. Lost as an island out at sea, resistant to the gentle waves of empathy.</i>
One of the hallmarks of growing up around alcoholism is the inability to express emotion, generally because displaying true emotion uncovers the lie that's told to make the family seem normal from the outside. My dad was, and still is, an "island out at sea, resistant to the gentle waves of empathy."
<i>Papa and the family always on parade</i>
Telling the story is important from the early on. You must maintain the veneer of normalcy, a parade for friends, family, coworkers and schoolmates.
<i>What they created was a family story no one will tell. It's a photo album too terrible.</i>
Many people will not talk about the distress they were put through growing up. It's difficult to come to terms with a childhood where the needs of the family always superseded those of the child. It is just not something one wants to relive, it's the story nobody's telling and memories too traumatic to re-experience.
<i>"Get me out of here, someone's got to save the day." The children are reminded to do it for the daddy's sake. And happiness is ever so far, far away.</i>
This line brings tears to my eyes. A kid looks to be protected and that's not an option in a family dealing (or worse, not dealing) with addiction. Happiness is something for other people, not you. You have to keep the lie going because you dad would be embarrassed.
The family image should never be an issue the child has to deal with, but in many cases, they are forced to.
Hey benlonghair , what a great explanation! Ive used this site for years but i just signed up cuz i needed to respond, thats a great analysis of the lyrics and i had no idea.. Like you the song really grabbed me from the start and i did wonder, so well done! Awesome song, i really like the middle of this album, a few of the later tracks are, not "bad" but..a little off, maybe its a grower :)
What?? Only 2 comments?! This is the greatest song on the album! No wait, in the whole world!!
Don't ya hate it when people comment like that? haha. But anyways, about the song, although benlonghair has a good interpretation, that could be correct, I think it's something different.
The song no doubt tells a story of a family that has the father being in charge, and the child is pushed into up-keeping family traditions. The child wants to break away from the fathers traditions and move on to new things.
Soo in a a broad sense, I think this song is about straying away from tradition, since traditions are usually fundamental and outdated, but something possibly oppressed (like the father) so it is difficult to break away. Just read the lyrics with this in mind it it mostly makes sense, but still kinda difficult so I could be wrong, eh?
I believe this song is about Greg Graffin's childhood experience. I could, of course, be totally wrong. But, trying to piece together what I remember reading from interviews and other lyrics, the song seems to be describing a family life with a strict and traditional if not overbearing father; where all other members of the family feel obligated to follow the tradition or risk some kind of family estrangement. Some other Bad Religion lyrics seem to point to a similar family situation. I would say "Sorrow" touches on the same subject. There are multiple possible readings (one being that 'father' in the song is God) but I think the lyrics could be about his literal father:
Father can you hear me? How have I let you down? I curse the day that I was born and all the sorrow in this world
Let me take you to the herding ground where all good men are trampled down Just to settle a bet that could not be won between a prideful father and his son