"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.
I am the one, orgasmatron
The outstretched grasping hand
My image is of agony
My servants rape the land
Obsequious and arrogant
Clandestine and pain
Two thousand years of misery
Of torture in my name
Hypocrisy made paramount
Paranoia the law
My name is called religion
Sadistic, sacred, whore
I twist the truth
I rule the world
My crown is called deceit
I am the emperor of lies
You grovel at my feet
I rob you and I slaughter you
Your downfall is my gain
And still, you play the sycophant
And revel in your pain
And all my promises are lies
And all my love is hate
I am the politician
And I decide your fate
I march before a martyred world
An army for the fight
I speak of great heroic days
Of victory and might
I hold a banner drenched in blood
I urge you to be brave
I lead you to your destiny
I lead you to your grave
Your bones will build my palaces
Your eyes will stud my crown
For I am Mars the god of war
And I will cut you down
The outstretched grasping hand
My image is of agony
My servants rape the land
Obsequious and arrogant
Clandestine and pain
Two thousand years of misery
Of torture in my name
Hypocrisy made paramount
Paranoia the law
My name is called religion
Sadistic, sacred, whore
I twist the truth
I rule the world
My crown is called deceit
I am the emperor of lies
You grovel at my feet
I rob you and I slaughter you
Your downfall is my gain
And still, you play the sycophant
And revel in your pain
And all my promises are lies
And all my love is hate
I am the politician
And I decide your fate
I march before a martyred world
An army for the fight
I speak of great heroic days
Of victory and might
I hold a banner drenched in blood
I urge you to be brave
I lead you to your destiny
I lead you to your grave
Your bones will build my palaces
Your eyes will stud my crown
For I am Mars the god of war
And I will cut you down
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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,
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song definitely has a lot of possibilities to it, but here's what I've come up with by thinking about it.
The Orgasmatron is basically the evil train seen on the cover of the album, obviously of an entity of the fantasy world. The first two sets of lyrics are about real life metaphorical Orgasmatrons that wreak havoc every day - Religion, and politics. The final lyric set is about the real train that's out to mess you up.
I don't know, that's all I could come up with.
It's not related to the train, have a look on wiki, the artwork was kept because it was good, but it is not relevant to the talk at hand.<br /> <br /> My view on this is that we're just shown an apocalyptic view of the epitome of human destruction.<br /> The first third is about religion, with its own brutality. <br /> The second part is about politics, with the deceit, control and power.<br /> And the third part is about war, fought for wrong leaders for example.<br /> <br /> These 3, religion, politics and war, are humanity's greatest murderers, and I suppose everybody can easily agree with this. You bring them together, and you've got mankind's destroyer.<br /> <br /> My two cents.<br />
It's not related to the train, have a look on wiki, the artwork was kept because it was good, but it is not relevant to the talk at hand.<br /> <br /> My view on this is that we're just shown an apocalyptic view of the epitome of human destruction.<br /> The first third is about religion, with its own brutality. <br /> The second part is about politics, with the deceit, control and power.<br /> And the third part is about war, fought for wrong leaders for example.<br /> <br /> These 3, religion, politics and war, are humanity's greatest murderers, and I suppose everybody can easily agree with this. You bring them together, and you've got mankind's destroyer.<br /> <br /> My two cents.<br />