"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.
There's miles of land in front of us
And we're dying with every step we take
We're dying with every breath we make
And all fall in line
A stranger's back is all I see
He's only a few feet in front of me
And all look left and right sometimes
But all fall in line
No one looks up anymore
'Cause you might get a raindrop in your eye
And heaven forbid, they see you cry
As we fall in line
And about this time of every year
The Line will go to the ocean pier
And walk right off into the sea
Then we fall asleep
As we near the end of land
And our ocean graves are just beyond the sand
I ask myself the question, why
I fall in line
Then out of the corner of my eye
I see a spaceship in the sky
And hear a voice inside my head
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me
Then the wages of war will start
Inside my head with my counterpart
And the emotionless marchers will chant the phrase
This line's the only way
Then I start down the sand
My eyes are focused on the end of land
But again the voice inside my head
Says, follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Take me up
Seal the door
I don't want to march here anymore
I realize that this line is dead
So I'll follow you instead
So then you put me back in my place
So I might start another day
And once again, I will be
In a march to the sea
And we're dying with every step we take
We're dying with every breath we make
And all fall in line
A stranger's back is all I see
He's only a few feet in front of me
And all look left and right sometimes
But all fall in line
No one looks up anymore
'Cause you might get a raindrop in your eye
And heaven forbid, they see you cry
As we fall in line
And about this time of every year
The Line will go to the ocean pier
And walk right off into the sea
Then we fall asleep
As we near the end of land
And our ocean graves are just beyond the sand
I ask myself the question, why
I fall in line
Then out of the corner of my eye
I see a spaceship in the sky
And hear a voice inside my head
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me
Then the wages of war will start
Inside my head with my counterpart
And the emotionless marchers will chant the phrase
This line's the only way
Then I start down the sand
My eyes are focused on the end of land
But again the voice inside my head
Says, follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Follow me instead
Take me up
Seal the door
I don't want to march here anymore
I realize that this line is dead
So I'll follow you instead
So then you put me back in my place
So I might start another day
And once again, I will be
In a march to the sea
Lyrics submitted by bookhouseboy23, edited by austinedward, cleftreble, tacomix
March To The Sea Lyrics as written by Tyler Joseph
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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When I listen to this song, I hear that he's on the path to suicide and that he's mindlessly "marching to the sea" when he hears a voice telling him to follow them instead, to live, and that he's fighting his "counterparts", like later to be introduced Blurryface. I think the meaning that most people have submitted is very interesting.
@quietmonster81 that is what I thought too.