"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.
In the magic garden
Some were singing
Some were dancing
While the midnight moon
Shone brightly overhead
The stars so gaily glistened
And the sphinx in silence listened to
The magician tell of
Lives that he had led
Let the bells of freedom ring
Songs of love to Friday's king
Let's all go to
The magician's birthday
It's in a forest
But not so far away
Much to do
And so much to say
While we listened to
The orchid orchestra play
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to magician
Happy birthday to you
Then at the dead of midnight
As we watched the dancing firelight
The air grew cold
And seemed to dull the flame
The fire died
The music faded
Filled with fear of death we waited
For now we knew
Some evil was to blame
I challenge you
I challenge you all
For all you own
And all you know
And I own the powers of darkness
I will steal what is mine
Surrender now or face my spite
I grant you it may be Friday night
But did you know this day
Also numbers thirteen
First I'll give you fire
I turn your fire into a sleepy stream
Yes, now I give you darkness
From your horror I'll create a dream
You cannot fight me
For I have the sword of hate
But one thing you can't see
My answer is simply
An impenetrable fortress
Of love love love
The fear went as quickly as it came
The air was clear
The fire burned again
The flames leapt
The organ played
The swans sang
To greet the day
And then we knew that
Love will find love will find love
Some were singing
Some were dancing
While the midnight moon
Shone brightly overhead
The stars so gaily glistened
And the sphinx in silence listened to
The magician tell of
Lives that he had led
Let the bells of freedom ring
Songs of love to Friday's king
Let's all go to
The magician's birthday
It's in a forest
But not so far away
Much to do
And so much to say
While we listened to
The orchid orchestra play
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to magician
Happy birthday to you
Then at the dead of midnight
As we watched the dancing firelight
The air grew cold
And seemed to dull the flame
The fire died
The music faded
Filled with fear of death we waited
For now we knew
Some evil was to blame
I challenge you
I challenge you all
For all you own
And all you know
And I own the powers of darkness
I will steal what is mine
Surrender now or face my spite
I grant you it may be Friday night
But did you know this day
Also numbers thirteen
First I'll give you fire
I turn your fire into a sleepy stream
Yes, now I give you darkness
From your horror I'll create a dream
You cannot fight me
For I have the sword of hate
But one thing you can't see
My answer is simply
An impenetrable fortress
Of love love love
The fear went as quickly as it came
The air was clear
The fire burned again
The flames leapt
The organ played
The swans sang
To greet the day
And then we knew that
Love will find love will find love
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Happy Birthday Lyrics as written by Lee Kerslake Ken Hensley
Lyrics © CONEXION MEDIA GROUP, INC.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.