"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.
Return to my own vomit like a dog
Rhymes and giggles muffle the dialogue
Carve my initials in a tree, I will never leave
Maybe one day I'll be royalty
Kingdom
Kindergarten
Born late
Will I graduate?
Drinking fountains are shorter than they used to
The swings on the playground don't even fit me anymore
Folklore nobody's supposed to believe in the next grade
Write it a hundred times
Kingdom
Kindergarten
Waiting
Bell's not ringing
Held back again
Everything got quiet suddenly no Dolby
And the theater is empty
Film is flapping on the side of the projector
The reel is over
Banished with my sticky shoes and stinging eyes
I'm walking outside
Kingdom
Kindergarten
Born late
Will I graduate?
Held back again
Rhymes and giggles muffle the dialogue
Carve my initials in a tree, I will never leave
Maybe one day I'll be royalty
Kingdom
Kindergarten
Born late
Will I graduate?
Drinking fountains are shorter than they used to
The swings on the playground don't even fit me anymore
Folklore nobody's supposed to believe in the next grade
Write it a hundred times
Kingdom
Kindergarten
Waiting
Bell's not ringing
Held back again
Everything got quiet suddenly no Dolby
And the theater is empty
Film is flapping on the side of the projector
The reel is over
Banished with my sticky shoes and stinging eyes
I'm walking outside
Kingdom
Kindergarten
Born late
Will I graduate?
Held back again
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Page
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I think this song is about a type of person who always lives in the past. They can't grow emotionally because they are so attached to the past and is afraid to 'grow up'.
"Return to my own vomit like a dog" The "vomit" is a metaphor of the past.
"Maybe one day I'll be royalty" As children, we see adults as authority figures. They are at the top of the hierarchy in families. This line suggests that the subject is pondering if he/she will ever grow up.
"Carve my initials in a tree I will never leave." Seems like this person is certain they will never leave the past behind and continue to live in it.
"Drinking fountains are shorter than they used to be, The swings on the playground don't even fit me anymore." This is a sign that the person is growing physically and biologically, but still the same age mentally.
"Held Back Again" They can't seem to break free from the past.
"Will I graduate?" They are wondering if they'll ever break away from the past.
"Everthing got quiet suddenly; no dolby The theatre is empty Film is flapping on the side of the projector The reel is over Banished with my sticky shoes and stinging eyes I'M WALKING OUTSIDE"
This is the realization that things will never be how they were in the past and the person should just finally move on.
The write it a hundred times part is like when kids get punished and have to write lines out 100 times on the blackboard (like Bart in the opening credits of The Simpsons)
I think it means how easy kindergarten is and then how fucked up high scholl is
i think this is the closest so far<br /> <br /> kinder is the start, but every step up to 'the next grade' is structurally the same as its predecessor. on 'nobodys supposed to believe in the next grade,' members of any institution (obviously in this case educational institutions, but i think it applies across the board) cant be allowed to see their position and aim to reach the next level as trivial, despite the self evident fact that you can effectively keep striving to reach some abstacted 'next level' forever. kinder-primary-secondary-bachelor-postgrad-masters-professorship-decorations, and so on indefinitely<br /> <br /> kingdom or kindergarten? kinder is basic and unvalued, owning or being-part-of a kingdom is noble. by saying theyre so similar we cant see the difference, patton is pointing the finger squarely at those who think theyre noble and asking them to face the worthlessness of their position<br /> <br /> drinking fountains, swings, are metaphorical. if see the reality of my, lets say for example tertiary study, as structurally similar to kinder, then im metaphorically seeing the elements of kinder as trite<br /> <br /> this is getting too long. ill just finish saying write it a hundred times is exactly what high school and uni students have to do to pass. toe the line<br /> <br /> im guessing the last verse is post-struc and offers some optimistic possibility for resistance, but i cant be fucked thinking about it, and i cant see it, lol
Class
Someone asked about what Mike is screaming at two points in the song - I listened several times and he's playing the role of an auctioneer in both cases. At 2 minutes I can hear him say something like "ok we've got a really good prize.... a fine young thing.... let's start the bidding at 55, 55, 55, 60, 60, 65, 65....going once, going twice.....a candycane". What this has to do with the general interpretations of the song (if anything) I have no idea!
seriously, not everything is deep. this IS about kindergarten.
yeah, but why are the drinking fountains shorter than they used to be?
@nimrod123 because you've never graduated to high school and now fully grown
I'm with the whole not being able to get over the past theory. A+
Drinking fountains are shorter than they used to be because he keeps failing. He's growing up, but nothing's growing with him. The "no escapey past" is a nice interpretation, but I think I'll keep just jamming out to a stupid kid.
No matter how you try to deny something, it's still there... for example : if I close my eyes, then they won't see me - it's a typical reasoning in these situations. There are far more complicated things than this one can believe or refuse to accept as an axiom. By realizing where to put a line between childlish headbumping and having will & faith makes one "graduate". And yeah, this is also one hell of a tune...