speed kills, but beauty lives forever
speed thrills, but beauty knows your name
i fell ill inside eternal winter, winter
and stood still beside eternal flame

and when i ride
with you tonight
we can move
at the speed of light
with all i'd asked
and all i'd pray
the last rose of summer would stay

first time that i ever saw you
crashing hard, the daze of pain
you were one of god's children
left to cry out in the rain
waiting to be saved again

'cause when i ride
with you tonight
we can move
at the speed of light
and all i'd ask
and all i pray
the last rose of summer
the last rose of summer
the last rose of summer is gone
long gone, gone
the last rose of summer is gone

when i ride
with you tonight
we can move
at the speed of light
forever young
forever blind
into the stars
we rock tonight

last rose of summer is gone
the last rose of summer is gone
the last rose of summer is gone
the last rose of summer is gone
the last rose of summer
the last rose of summer
the last rose of summer is gone


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Speed Kills song meanings
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21 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I think this song really sums up the Machina II album - speed kills, but beauty lives forever, and it really shows that Billy wanted to make something beautiful.

    There's so many songs like this that just combine beauty and rock on it, I love it. Shame it never got properly released, it's got to be my all-time favourite album.

    selrachon July 30, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this such a great song...i really love the line "when i ride with you tonight we can move at the speed of light forever young forever blind into the stars we rock tonight " it probobly has something to do with Glass and his girlfriend...there's like this long story at the smashing pumpkins website

    rockstar001on May 09, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love the first part, just the way it's sung... "speed kills but beauty lives forevaauuhh".. gives me goosebumps... kinda sounds like that, the way Billy does... Billy can just make up such amazing melodies and sing songs a certain way that only he can... beautiful.

    da77ynon May 01, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is about methamphetamine as with annie dog and glass and ghost children i think billy had a methamphetamine addiction

    mook888on June 21, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is about methamphetamine as with annie dog and glass and ghost children i think billy had a methamphetamine addiction

    mook888on June 21, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Or maybe someone he cared about did?

    Do you think he had an addiction? Billy is relatively on top of things as far as I'm aware.

    WilliamTheProtectoron March 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Or maybe someone he cared about did?

    Do you think he had an addiction? Billy is relatively on top of things as far as I'm aware.

    WilliamTheProtectoron March 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    In the Machina concept story, this song is about is about June, Glass's girlfriend who is fucked out on drugs. I won't give a line by line analysis because I just don't know what each one means. I'm pretty sure most of it is pointing at the trip, speed, riding it, etc... and the second verse (first time i ever saw you) is about how Glass first met June, the bad state she was in, "waiting to be saved again". One of the very best in the whole Machina set of albums, I'm surprised it only made it as a B-side.

    Mortonium Iceon May 01, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is one of my favorite songs on Machina. to Mortonium Ice: it actually made it onto the Japanese release of the Machina album. I don't know which version the original post was for, but the lyrics are the same for both versions of the song. The original version was also on the Stand Inside Your Love single. Everyone should try to find both versions because they are both great. As for meaning, I think Mortonium Ice had it right. I don't think that Billy has used hard drugs in a very long time. I think it was a part of the concept story of the Machina albums. I Want the Pumpkins Back!

    ghostchildon July 15, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The amazing thing about this song is the bass line, it just seems to drive along so confidently, and makes the song really addictive to listen to.

    orangebeakeron January 14, 2006   Link

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