"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.
I was bored in a fjord
And I curse the heart and soul
Of Scandinavia
Let the people burn
Let their children cry and die
In blind asylums
But then you came along
And you held out your hand
And I fell in love with you
And Scandinavia
I kiss the soil
I hug the soil
I eat the soil
And I praise the God who made you
Stab me in your own time in Scandinavia
Unprotesting I'll die in Scandinavia
Pinned to a crime in Trondheim
I despise each syllable in Scandinavia
Let the people burn
Let their children cry and die
In blind asylums
But then you came along
And you held out your hand
And I fell in love with you
And Scandinavia
I kiss the soil
I hug the soil
I eat the soil
And I praise the God who made you
Stab me in your own time in Scandinavia
I'd be so happy to die in Scandinavia
And I curse the heart and soul
Of Scandinavia
Let the people burn
Let their children cry and die
In blind asylums
But then you came along
And you held out your hand
And I fell in love with you
And Scandinavia
I kiss the soil
I hug the soil
I eat the soil
And I praise the God who made you
Stab me in your own time in Scandinavia
Unprotesting I'll die in Scandinavia
Pinned to a crime in Trondheim
I despise each syllable in Scandinavia
Let the people burn
Let their children cry and die
In blind asylums
But then you came along
And you held out your hand
And I fell in love with you
And Scandinavia
I kiss the soil
I hug the soil
I eat the soil
And I praise the God who made you
Stab me in your own time in Scandinavia
I'd be so happy to die in Scandinavia
Lyrics submitted by PlunderingDesire
Scandinavia Lyrics as written by Steven Patrick Morrissey Martin James Boorer
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I hope the comment above was intended as a joke. Morrissey is not racist. It refers directly to the Swedish national Anthem, wich has the words " I want to live and I want to die in Scandinavia (Norden)"
"Pinned to a crime"... someone who is angry of an inujstice to him. Ranting about how he despise the country. Then finds love in this country, and changes his views. I think it also refers to accused Swedish "serial killer" Tomas Quick, who was in fact pinned to a lot of murders in Norway, but was completely innocent.
In our mythology, especially Eddan, forgiveness didn't exist, there were raids and burning of villages and children and curses similiar to this all over, that part probably refers to that.