"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.
A monk with a hard-on
And a lavender robe
That scratches his thighs
Through the hat that he strode
As he follows a path
Filled with every desire
And mimics his footsteps
And sets his prayers on fire.
Well I too have chosen
That which left no choice
To sing without loving,
A solitary voice,
To observe with passion
Each careful denial:
The protrusions which give my life meaning
For a while.
Sometimes I see you in berries and weeds
You're brushing your teeth with liquorice seeds
Standing too close,
Pulling your clothes,
Smiling at god
And the meaning of life grows.
No and I'll never tell
And I'll never know
What candles you light
After the show
And I'll never tell,
And I'll never ask
The meaning of life after mass.
And a lavender robe
That scratches his thighs
Through the hat that he strode
As he follows a path
Filled with every desire
And mimics his footsteps
And sets his prayers on fire.
Well I too have chosen
That which left no choice
To sing without loving,
A solitary voice,
To observe with passion
Each careful denial:
The protrusions which give my life meaning
For a while.
Sometimes I see you in berries and weeds
You're brushing your teeth with liquorice seeds
Standing too close,
Pulling your clothes,
Smiling at god
And the meaning of life grows.
No and I'll never tell
And I'll never know
What candles you light
After the show
And I'll never tell,
And I'll never ask
The meaning of life after mass.
Lyrics submitted by one hit wonder
Altar Boy Lyrics as written by Rickie Lee Jones
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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About people -like my aunt- who go to church every week then go home to beat their kids or smoke a few.
First off, some terribly wrong lyrics: "That scratches his thighs for the height that he strode, as he follows a path filled with every desire..." For the height that he strode... climbing up the mountain to the altar. I personally identify with this song. I think this song is talking about the people who are a part of a religion without their heart being a part of it. "A monk with a hard-on" already shows that the man is not completely into his religion. He's following a path filled with arid desire. He sings without loving... Anyway, the protrusions from his own religion, his denials... they give his life meaning. Haha, i'm just spitting back the lyrics. Well, anyway, you get the hint =)
maybe its about all those preists that are sick freaks that raped the alter boys. probably not but its just a thought. Those sick bastards.
Just a note - song is originally by Rickie Lee Jones.
I think "protrusion" is the key word of this song. Something that bulges outward or stands out from the surface.
I think it's about the things that turn us on and keep us going, things that we might never admit to anyone else, thoughts and desires we never act on but nonetheless entertain in our darkest corners. And in some cases may even inspire us.
Those last seven lines are perfection.