"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.
Seen enough to eye you
But I've seen to much to try you
It's always weirdness while you
Dig it much too much to fry you
The weirdness flows between us
Anyone can tell to see us
Freak scene just can't believe us
Why can't it just be cool and free us?
Seen enough to eye you
But I've seen to much to try you
It's always weirdness while you
Dig it much too much to fry you
The weirdness flows between us
Anyone can tell to see us
Freak scene just can't believe us
Why can't it just be cool and leave us?
It's so fucked I can't believe it
If there's a way I wish we'd see it
How could it work just can't conceive it
Oh what a mess it's just to leave it
Sometimes I don't thrill you
Sometimes I think I'll kill you
Just don't let me fuck up will you
'cause when I need a friend it's still you
What a mess
But I've seen to much to try you
It's always weirdness while you
Dig it much too much to fry you
The weirdness flows between us
Anyone can tell to see us
Freak scene just can't believe us
Why can't it just be cool and free us?
Seen enough to eye you
But I've seen to much to try you
It's always weirdness while you
Dig it much too much to fry you
The weirdness flows between us
Anyone can tell to see us
Freak scene just can't believe us
Why can't it just be cool and leave us?
It's so fucked I can't believe it
If there's a way I wish we'd see it
How could it work just can't conceive it
Oh what a mess it's just to leave it
Sometimes I don't thrill you
Sometimes I think I'll kill you
Just don't let me fuck up will you
'cause when I need a friend it's still you
What a mess
Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe
Freak Scene Lyrics as written by Joseph Mascis
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I've never read anywhere where Mascis or any of the band has said that this is only about the music scene. The only bits like that I've read are by music journos who don't know any more than us. There seems to be so many references to a relationship in it that I think that's in there are as well.
My take is that it's about a girl within a group of friends (the freak scene) that is really in to him and who he gets together now and again. He likes her but he knows her really well so the idea of them getting together permanently seems weird. It obvious to everyone that something is going on and that they should get together and they keep pestering them about it. He needs them all to leave them alone if it's going to work.
Seen enough to eye you (he fancies her) But I've seen to much to try you (but he know's her too well already) It's always weirdness while you (the idea of them getting together seems strange) Dig it much too much to fry you (but she really like him and he feels bad about letting her down) The weirdness flows between us (there is clearly a connection between them) Anyone can tell to see us (as everyone around can see) Freak scene just can't believe us (everyone around doesn't believe them when they say nothing is going on) Why can't it just be cool and leave us (why can't they just leave them alone)
My god, that makes me feel old that people think it's a bloody Blink 182 song.
Blink 182? Bad stickboy. No Dinosaur Jr for you.
I've always thought this song was about Lou Barlow and J Mascis's relationship and all the inner angst in the band at the time.
The whole uma thing was a total joke, so quit posting in every song its about uma. Its just a joke j played in the year that punk broke. Its just like how they said he loves to skydive with his bulldog bob. He doesnt.
I always figured this song was about how dysfunctional the band was. I read that book "Our Band Could Be Your Life" and I'm pretty sure they did want to kill each other at certain points.
Blink 182 fucked fuck!!! shit! geez fuck i hate everyone um its about the indie scene and maybe uma?
I definately agree with "powertrash", there's no other way of seeing it. The ending is sweet though
"Sometimes I don't thrill you Sometimes I think I'll kill you Just don't let me fuck up will you 'Cause when I need a friend it's still you
What A Mess "
i think this song's about two people who are the bestest friends, but they're so close they cant be together because it'll ruin their freindship. i guess thats ironic cause whatever happens, 'when i need a friend its still you'. maybe anyway
this song is great. blink doesnt have the talent to come up with such an awesome song.
blink 182 are never going to write such a good song