"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.
Far, far beyond the island
We dwelt in shades of twilight
Through dread and weary days
Through grief and endless pain
It lies unknown
The land of mine
A hidden gate
To save us from the shadow fall
The lord of water spoke
In the silence
Words of wisdom
I've seen the end of all
Be aware the storm gets closer
chorus (1):
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That tomorrows bears insanity
Gone's the wisdom
Of a thousand years
A world in fire and chains and fear
Leads me to a place so far
Deep down it lies my secret vision
I better keep it safe
Shall I leave my friends alone
Hidden in my twilight hall
(I) know the world is lost in fire
Sure there is no way to turn it
Back to the old days
Of bliss and cheerful laughter
We're lost in barren lands
Caught in the running flames
Alone
How shall we leave the lost road
Time's getting short so follow me
A leader's task so clearly
To find a path out of the dark
chorus (2):
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Even though
The storm calmed down
The bitter end
Is just a matter of time
Shall we dare the dragon
Merciless he's poisoning our hearts
Our hearts
How shall we leave the lost road
Time's getting short so follow me
A leader's task so clearly
To find a path out of the dark
chorus (2)
We dwelt in shades of twilight
Through dread and weary days
Through grief and endless pain
It lies unknown
The land of mine
A hidden gate
To save us from the shadow fall
The lord of water spoke
In the silence
Words of wisdom
I've seen the end of all
Be aware the storm gets closer
chorus (1):
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That tomorrows bears insanity
Gone's the wisdom
Of a thousand years
A world in fire and chains and fear
Leads me to a place so far
Deep down it lies my secret vision
I better keep it safe
Shall I leave my friends alone
Hidden in my twilight hall
(I) know the world is lost in fire
Sure there is no way to turn it
Back to the old days
Of bliss and cheerful laughter
We're lost in barren lands
Caught in the running flames
Alone
How shall we leave the lost road
Time's getting short so follow me
A leader's task so clearly
To find a path out of the dark
chorus (2):
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Mirror Mirror on the wall
True hope lies beyond the coast
You're a damned kind can't you see
That the winds will change
Even though
The storm calmed down
The bitter end
Is just a matter of time
Shall we dare the dragon
Merciless he's poisoning our hearts
Our hearts
How shall we leave the lost road
Time's getting short so follow me
A leader's task so clearly
To find a path out of the dark
chorus (2)
Lyrics submitted by mimas
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Mountain Song
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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
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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
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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.
Far, far beyond the island (in the undying lands beyond where numenor will eventually be) We dwelt in shades of twilight (the light of the trees) Through dread and weary days Through grief and endless pain (the whole bit about the trees dying, the kinslaying, the grinding ice, etc)
It lies unknown The land of mine (gondolin) A hidden gate (gondolin had hidden gates) To save us from the shadow fall (it was protected, for a while, from morgoth) The lord of water spoke (Ulmo to turgon) In the silence Words of wisdom I've seen the end of all Be aware the storm gets closer (eventually gondolin will fall)
chorus (1): Mirror Mirror on the wall (I not sure, maybe just a figure of speech) True hope lies beyond the coast (the only real way for morgoth to fall was by the hands of valar, not the noldor ps: the line is a quote form ulmo) You're a damned kind can't you see (the curse of the noldor) That the winds will change (when the noldor first arrived in middle earth, they seemed so powerful, but morgoth eventually became far stronger than they) Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You're a damned kind can't you see That tomorrows bears insanity
Gone's the wisdom Of a thousand years A world in fire and chains and fear Leads me to a place so far Deep down it lies my secret vision I better keep it safe (gondolin is a refuge from war of jewels)
Shall I leave my friends alone Hidden in my twilight hall (I) know the world is lost in fire Sure there is no way to turn it Back to the old days Of bliss and cheerful laughter We're lost in barren lands Caught in the running flames ( the battle of sudden-flames) Alone (should the city of menegroth aid the other elven kingdoms, it is essentially hopeless no matter what they do)
How shall we leave the lost road Time's getting short so follow me A leader's task so clearly To find a path out of the dark (the small group that was saved at the fall of gondolin by a secret passage through the mountains)
chorus (2): Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You're a damned kind can't you see That the winds will change Mirror Mirror on the wall True hope lies beyond the coast You're a damned kind can't you see That the winds will change
Even though The storm calmed down The bitter end Is just a matter of time (at some points, the war of the jewels was at a stand-still, but the noldor really didn't have a chance)
Shall we dare the dragon Merciless he's poisoning our hearts Our hearts (glaunrung, and the dragon's powerful stare)
How shall we leave the lost road Time's getting short so follow me A leader's task so clearly To find a path out of the dark
All in all, a song about several of the noldor kingdoms and how they were all futile. The only way for morgoth to be defeated was by the valar.
The song is from the album Nightfall in Middle-Earth, which refers to events that take place a few millenia before the Lord of the Rings. This song in particular is quite probably about one of the two hidden cities of the High Elves ('It lies unknown, this land of mine'), Gondolin being the more likely candidate because Ulmo (the Lord of Water) is mentioned. Other parts of the song fit in with Gondolin as well, such as the chorus: The ruler of Gondolin was warned that his city might fall, but he trusted in his walls rather than in an escape to the sea, which might have saved his people.
this is really a good song :p useless comments but .. wanted to say this !
Lord of Waters=Ulmo Ulmo showed Turgon where to buod Gondolin, an elven city hidden in the mountains (Ered Gorgoroth)
"Shall I leave my friends alone Hidden in my twilight hall (I) know the world is lost in fire "
Sounds like Turgon debating whether to help his fellow elves, but he doesn't want to leave his city. He fears by leaving, it will be discovered and it'll be sacked.
The dragon mentioned is Glaurung, the Father of Dragons aka Worm of Morgoth. (Glaurung was a flightless dragon, the winged ones came later)
The 'Mirror Mirror' line has been bugging me ever since I discovered this album over a year ago, and I think I finally figured it out.
Turgon's undoing was his inability to abandon Gondolin in the end. He knew that Morgoth had finally discovered his whereabouts and was soon to bring all his wrath down on them. Against all hope, Turgon couldn't abandon it because he'd spent so long building up the city and it had grown so proud and beautiful. The song is about Turgon's story as a whole, but the 'Mirror Mirror on the wall' lines represent how his vanity subtly dominates his thoughts and twists his judgement as he decides how best to lead his people even though he knows the answer all along - True hope lies beyond the coast.
Absolutely right, mattstriker... This is the best song of blind guardian (best german band ever)
i agree with mattstriker it is most likely about the fall of Gondolin. i'm sorry i have to say this: i love this song!
thanks Thauglor for the completely useless comment.
this song is amazing, but ther lyrics have already been explained rather well by MattStriker
This song is goodness
um...I HOPE you are referring to 'The Silmarillion' Feanor lays a curse on his sons to recover the Silmarils(duh!) that he forged from the rogue Valar Melkor, whom he names Morgoth. And...Morgoth is NOT a badass....he's retarded. Also I think Post 2nd age middle earth is retarded as all the hardcore people are dead by then.