"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.
[Chorus]
Are you sleeping
Brother John
If you feel like weeping
Brother John
Please won't you hear me
Brother John
Just wait and see
Brother John
Can't you see by the will of your hand
You can give it a try and just name your price
And everybody in this rock & roll band
Don't want to preach don't want to give advice
But the music's playing and all we're saying
Is come along and jam
And it's hard to be believed what can be achieved
With an outstretched hand
[Chorus]
Take a walk through the rest of your life
Until you dare to take it step by step
(Positively) till you make it yours
Now tell me what's left
Is it really you and you when you gotta know
That things can change
Just a pair of little eyes inside your head
That make you rearrange
[Chorus]
The things that hurt just won't go away
But neither will we
Doesn't really matter either way cause you're all you need
To set yourself free
It may sound hard but it's just a start
To ride that wind
And you ain't Peter Pan you're just a man
You'll get there again
[Chorus: x2]
[Repeat: x4]
Just wait and see
Are you guys ready to play follow the leader?
[Repeat: x4]
Just wait and see
Hush little baby, now don't say a word
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring don't shine
Papa's gonna buy you a bottle of wine
And when that bottle of wine gets done
Papa's gonna buy you a BB gun
Papa's gonna show you what it's all about
Or you're gonna shoot your own eye out,
Hey hey hey hey [Repeat: x4]
[Repeat: x7]
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you wait and see
Are you sleeping
Brother John
If you feel like weeping
Brother John
Please won't you hear me
Brother John
Just wait and see
Brother John
Can't you see by the will of your hand
You can give it a try and just name your price
And everybody in this rock & roll band
Don't want to preach don't want to give advice
But the music's playing and all we're saying
Is come along and jam
And it's hard to be believed what can be achieved
With an outstretched hand
[Chorus]
Take a walk through the rest of your life
Until you dare to take it step by step
(Positively) till you make it yours
Now tell me what's left
Is it really you and you when you gotta know
That things can change
Just a pair of little eyes inside your head
That make you rearrange
[Chorus]
The things that hurt just won't go away
But neither will we
Doesn't really matter either way cause you're all you need
To set yourself free
It may sound hard but it's just a start
To ride that wind
And you ain't Peter Pan you're just a man
You'll get there again
[Chorus: x2]
[Repeat: x4]
Just wait and see
Are you guys ready to play follow the leader?
[Repeat: x4]
Just wait and see
Hush little baby, now don't say a word
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird don't sing
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring don't shine
Papa's gonna buy you a bottle of wine
And when that bottle of wine gets done
Papa's gonna buy you a BB gun
Papa's gonna show you what it's all about
Or you're gonna shoot your own eye out,
Hey hey hey hey [Repeat: x4]
[Repeat: x7]
Won't you rise and shine
Won't you wait and see
Lyrics submitted by itsmyownmind
Brother John Lyrics as written by Chan Kinchla Bobby Sheehan
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Well you're all in luck, Blues traveler is my fav. band and i know quite a bit about them, like the meaning of this song for instance... ahem When this song was being made, Bob sheehan's BROTHER, JOHN sheehan, was going through some tough times. I think it had something to do with girls.. or drugs... i dont know exactly BUT I do know that he was sleeping most of the day and well, he was just really out of it. So John (Popper(thats the lead singer)) and the group made this song to, wake him up, if you will... Personaly, this is most definetly my favorite song of all time! And thats all i have to say about that... (yeah i got that from forrest gump, so what?)