The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Just lookin' back at the world
From another level, ya know what I mean?
Starin'
Multiple gunshots fill the block, the fun stops
Niggas is callin' cops, people shot, nobody stops
I wonder when the world stopped carin', last night
Two kids shot while the whole block starin'
I will never understand this society
First they try to murder me then they lie to me
Product of a dyin' breed
All my homies tryin' weed
Now the little baby's crazed raised off Hennessy
Tell me, will my enemies flee when they see me?
Believe me, even thugs gotta learn to take it easy
Listen, through the intermissions search your heart for a plan
And we turnin' bad boys to grown men, it's on again
I give a holla to my niggas in the darkest corners
Roll a perfect blunt, and let me spark it for ya
One love from a thug nigga
Rollin' with a posse full of paranoid drug dealers
To the end, my friend
I'm seein' nothin' but my dreams comin' true
While I'm starin' at the world through my rearview
See, I'm seein' nothin' but my dreams comin' true
While I'm starin' at the world through my rearview
They got starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
'Cause all my motherfuckers
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
We gettin' high, watchin' time fly
All my motherfuckers
Now you see him, now you don't
Some niggas be here for the moment, and then they gone
What happened to 'em?
Well, let's see, it seems to be a mystery
But all I know I never let the money get to me
Stay down like the truest
Thug Life until I check out this bitch, I thought you knew this
Who is gonna catch me when I fall or even care to?
While you thinkin' I see you lost up in my rearview
Hear you is down with them Outlawz
Outcast, left far, I'm through like southpaws
But still we keep mashin' till our dreams come through
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Now I was raised as a young black male
In order to get paid, forced to make crack sales
Caught a nigga so they send me to these overpacked jails
In the cell, countin' days in this livin' black hell
Do you feel me? Keys to ignition, use at your discretion
Roll with a 12 gauge pump for protection
Niggas hate me in the section from years of chin-checkin'
Turn to Smith and Wesson war weapons
Heavenly Father, I'm a soldier
I'm gettin' hotter 'cause the world's gettin' colder
Baby, let me hold ya
Talk to my guns like they fly bitches
All you bustas best to run, look at my bitches!
Now I know the answers to the question
"Do dreams come true?"
Still starin' at the world through my rearview
I said now I know the answers, "Do dreams come true?"
Starin' at the world through my rearview
They got starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
And all my motherfuckers
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
We gettin' high, watchin' time fly
Nigga Kadafi say
Back in the days we hustled for sneakers and beepers
Nine-six for Glocks 'cause fiends hittin' up blocks with street sweepers
Bless myself when knowin' rules to these streets
Somethin' I learned in school
On some Million Man March shit for the peace, true that
Only one life to lead, a fast life of greed
Criminally addicted, infested since a seed
We all die, breed bleed like humans
Towns run by young guns, Outlawz and truants
Shit's deep, turn eighteen, burn my will when I go
Burnt my body with my shotty, or choosin' my dough
So while you reminiscin' all nights out with the crew
Smoke a blunt for me too, I'm starin' through your rearview
You ain't knowin' what we mean by starin' through the rearview
So since you ain't knowin' what we mean let me break down understandin'
The world, the world is behind us
Once a motherfucker get an understandin' on the game
And what the levels and the rules of the game is
Then the world ain't no trick no more, the world is a game to be played
So now we lookin' at the world, from like, behind us
Niggas know what we gotta do
Just gotta put our mind to it and do it
It's all about the papers, money rule the world
Bitches make the world go round
Real niggas do they wanna do
Bitch niggas do what they can
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
You know
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
And we'll be starin' at the world through my rearview
Scream to God, he can't hear you
Heart beatin' fast, time to die
Watchin' time fly
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Scream to God, he can't hear you
Heart beatin' fast, time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
Just lookin' back at the world
From another level, ya know what I mean?
Starin'
Multiple gunshots fill the block, the fun stops
Niggas is callin' cops, people shot, nobody stops
I wonder when the world stopped carin', last night
Two kids shot while the whole block starin'
I will never understand this society
First they try to murder me then they lie to me
Product of a dyin' breed
All my homies tryin' weed
Now the little baby's crazed raised off Hennessy
Tell me, will my enemies flee when they see me?
Believe me, even thugs gotta learn to take it easy
Listen, through the intermissions search your heart for a plan
And we turnin' bad boys to grown men, it's on again
I give a holla to my niggas in the darkest corners
Roll a perfect blunt, and let me spark it for ya
One love from a thug nigga
Rollin' with a posse full of paranoid drug dealers
To the end, my friend
I'm seein' nothin' but my dreams comin' true
While I'm starin' at the world through my rearview
See, I'm seein' nothin' but my dreams comin' true
While I'm starin' at the world through my rearview
They got starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
'Cause all my motherfuckers
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
We gettin' high, watchin' time fly
All my motherfuckers
Now you see him, now you don't
Some niggas be here for the moment, and then they gone
What happened to 'em?
Well, let's see, it seems to be a mystery
But all I know I never let the money get to me
Stay down like the truest
Thug Life until I check out this bitch, I thought you knew this
Who is gonna catch me when I fall or even care to?
While you thinkin' I see you lost up in my rearview
Hear you is down with them Outlawz
Outcast, left far, I'm through like southpaws
But still we keep mashin' till our dreams come through
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Now I was raised as a young black male
In order to get paid, forced to make crack sales
Caught a nigga so they send me to these overpacked jails
In the cell, countin' days in this livin' black hell
Do you feel me? Keys to ignition, use at your discretion
Roll with a 12 gauge pump for protection
Niggas hate me in the section from years of chin-checkin'
Turn to Smith and Wesson war weapons
Heavenly Father, I'm a soldier
I'm gettin' hotter 'cause the world's gettin' colder
Baby, let me hold ya
Talk to my guns like they fly bitches
All you bustas best to run, look at my bitches!
Now I know the answers to the question
"Do dreams come true?"
Still starin' at the world through my rearview
I said now I know the answers, "Do dreams come true?"
Starin' at the world through my rearview
They got starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
And all my motherfuckers
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
We gettin' high, watchin' time fly
Nigga Kadafi say
Back in the days we hustled for sneakers and beepers
Nine-six for Glocks 'cause fiends hittin' up blocks with street sweepers
Bless myself when knowin' rules to these streets
Somethin' I learned in school
On some Million Man March shit for the peace, true that
Only one life to lead, a fast life of greed
Criminally addicted, infested since a seed
We all die, breed bleed like humans
Towns run by young guns, Outlawz and truants
Shit's deep, turn eighteen, burn my will when I go
Burnt my body with my shotty, or choosin' my dough
So while you reminiscin' all nights out with the crew
Smoke a blunt for me too, I'm starin' through your rearview
You ain't knowin' what we mean by starin' through the rearview
So since you ain't knowin' what we mean let me break down understandin'
The world, the world is behind us
Once a motherfucker get an understandin' on the game
And what the levels and the rules of the game is
Then the world ain't no trick no more, the world is a game to be played
So now we lookin' at the world, from like, behind us
Niggas know what we gotta do
Just gotta put our mind to it and do it
It's all about the papers, money rule the world
Bitches make the world go round
Real niggas do they wanna do
Bitch niggas do what they can
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
You know
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Go on, baby, scream to God, he can't hear you
I can feel your heart beatin' fast 'cause it's time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
And we'll be starin' at the world through my rearview
Scream to God, he can't hear you
Heart beatin' fast, time to die
Watchin' time fly
Starin' at the world through my rearview
Scream to God, he can't hear you
Heart beatin' fast, time to die
Gettin' high, watchin' time fly
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
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"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.
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.