"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.
No one can blame you for walking away
But too much rejection, uh-huh
No love injection, nothing
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl
'Cause it hurts like hell
But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
Down in the underground
A land serene, a crystal moon
A-ha
It's only forever
Not long at all
Lost and lonely
That's underground, underground
Daddy, daddy, get me out of here (heard about a place today)
Ha, ha, I'm underground (nothing ever hurts again)
(Nothing ever hurts again) well, I found a place
(Daddy, get me out of here) nothing ever hurts again
(Hoping for the underground) down and down and get me out of here
(Hoping for the underground) ha, ha, I'm underground
(Get me underground) sister, sister, please take me down
Ha, ha, I'm underground (gotta get me out of here)
Daddy, daddy get me out
No one can blame you for walking away
But too much rejection, uh-huh
No love injection, nothing
But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
Down in the underground
A land serene, a crystal moon
A-ha
It's only
It's only forever
It's not long at all
They're lost and they're lonely
That's underground, underground
Daddy, daddy get me out
Heard about a place today (heard about a place today)
Nothing ever hurts again (nothing ever hurts again)
Daddy, daddy get me out of here (daddy, get me out of here)
Ha, ha, underground (hoping for the underground)
Sister, sister, please (hoping for the underground)
Ha, ha, I'm underground (get me underground)
Daddy, daddy, get me out
Under, under
Under, underground
Underground
Under, underground
Under, underground
Under, underground
Wanna live underground
Wanna live underground
Daddy, daddy, get me out of here
Ha, ha, underground
Sister, sister, please take me out of here
Ha, ha, I'm underground
Ha, ha, I'm underground
Ha, ha, underground
Daddy, daddy, please
Daddy, daddy, please
Wanna move underground
Wanna move underground
Sister, sister, take me too
Sister, sister, take me too
But too much rejection, uh-huh
No love injection, nothing
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl
'Cause it hurts like hell
But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
Down in the underground
A land serene, a crystal moon
A-ha
It's only forever
Not long at all
Lost and lonely
That's underground, underground
Daddy, daddy, get me out of here (heard about a place today)
Ha, ha, I'm underground (nothing ever hurts again)
(Nothing ever hurts again) well, I found a place
(Daddy, get me out of here) nothing ever hurts again
(Hoping for the underground) down and down and get me out of here
(Hoping for the underground) ha, ha, I'm underground
(Get me underground) sister, sister, please take me down
Ha, ha, I'm underground (gotta get me out of here)
Daddy, daddy get me out
No one can blame you for walking away
But too much rejection, uh-huh
No love injection, nothing
But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
Down in the underground
A land serene, a crystal moon
A-ha
It's only
It's only forever
It's not long at all
They're lost and they're lonely
That's underground, underground
Daddy, daddy get me out
Heard about a place today (heard about a place today)
Nothing ever hurts again (nothing ever hurts again)
Daddy, daddy get me out of here (daddy, get me out of here)
Ha, ha, underground (hoping for the underground)
Sister, sister, please (hoping for the underground)
Ha, ha, I'm underground (get me underground)
Daddy, daddy, get me out
Under, under
Under, underground
Underground
Under, underground
Under, underground
Under, underground
Wanna live underground
Wanna live underground
Daddy, daddy, get me out of here
Ha, ha, underground
Sister, sister, please take me out of here
Ha, ha, I'm underground
Ha, ha, I'm underground
Ha, ha, underground
Daddy, daddy, please
Daddy, daddy, please
Wanna move underground
Wanna move underground
Sister, sister, take me too
Sister, sister, take me too
Lyrics submitted by strawberygashs
Underground Lyrics as written by David Jones
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Sentric Music, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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'Underground' can mean perhaps four things.
As for death being the underground, this can link closely to the imagination/escapism. A life can be so miserable that you either escape from it via imagination (like Sarah does in the movie) or you kill yourself to escape, with hopes that maybe in the afterlife you'll "find someone true."
Hell being underground is an extremely common idea in the Western world. This ties in closely to the figure of Jareth being the ruler of a world of goblins, this seems parallel to depictions of the Devil in Christian imagery presiding over a world of demons. In the movie he steals away a baby, and nearly steals away a teenager, Sarah. This song, when first mentioning the underground, can easily seem like a "deal with the devil" situation: "But down in the underground, You'll find someone true, Down in the underground, A land serene, A crystal moon, It's only forever, Not long at all." The response in the next few verses "I wanna go underground" seems like the deal with the Devil has been accepted.
These lines are the most haunting to me in this song. If we take these words "its only forever" it seems to support only three of the four ideas; Death (therefore suicide), Hell, or in the Labyrinth, (the labyrinth perhaps being a symbolic representation of both death and hell.) The song, with these lines, rules out the idea that its only about fantasy and escapism; because you can't escape into fantasy for eternity; the only way to reach eternity in the mythological sense is to die and go to the afterlife: heaven or hell. This song seems to be nudging toward the latter.
I think the parallel between Jareth and the Devil is obvious in many ways, he is charming, a musician, he is tempting, he plays upon immoral and hidden desires, there is sexual imagery in the Labyrinth and surrounding him, etc etc etc. He even sets up an obviously Satanic "get her to bite the fruit" scenario. He lures her with toys, crystal balls, castles, and every fantasy item she loves; into a trap. It isn't to benefit Sarah, its for Jareth's possession and ownership of her.
The movie has many occult symbols in it; and Bowie being a lifelong student of occult subjects (one of his favorite books was Transcendental Magic by Eliphas Levi) I would lean strongly toward the idea that this movie and song have some occult message. I love that such a complex and mysterious movie, song, and set of themes exist. They've perplexed me throughout my childhood and up to this day.
@0au5t1n <br /> <br /> This is the best interpretation that you gave here, especially since Bowie's half brother Terry had just committed suicide about a year to six months prior to the release of this song. I'm not sure if Bowie actually wrote the song lyrics, but it may be that he had collaboration in the lyrics and might have been swayed by his recent grief. I certainly think so now knowing the facts. <br /> <br /> To me, this song stands alone from the movie, and its about suicide, purely about suicide- and fantasy and suicide go hand in hand similarly, because both are escapes from a world that is 'not always swell', but for others 'can be easy', which to watch others enjoy while you are already hurting and in need (and possibly ignored),makes it all the more excruciatingly mentally painful. They don't share, and its just how it works- "truth hurts". Stay and suffer? It hurts like hell. What other option is there but to try and go 'underground'? If hell is here, maybe that is the way out.... or so it seems to the sufferer. <br /> <br /> The phrase "no love injection" to me, also verifies this is more about the suicide of Bowie's half brother. Terry was in an institution when he died, jumping from a window. (The song "Jump They Say" is said to have been written by Bowie about this event) . This world we live in somehow believes very stupidly that injecting a person with 'medication' will be a cure for what the mentally ill need (and have probably always needed which the absence of drove them into the condition they are in) - LOVE. They are always rejected, left alone, but what they really need is inclusion from others who are well, to battle their problems. They need support . Not pills. But even a love 'injection', is probably better than nothing. This is also why drug use is rampant... no love, so people reach for 'a fantasy injection'. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Requiesce in pace
@0au5t1n <br /> <br /> <br /> This is the best interpretation that you gave here, especially since Bowie's half brother Terry had just committed suicide about a year to six months prior to the release of this song. I'm not sure if Bowie actually wrote the song lyrics, but it may be that he had collaboration in the lyrics and might have been swayed by his recent grief. I certainly think so now knowing the facts. <br /> <br /> To me, this song stands alone from the movie, and its about suicide, purely about suicide- and fantasy and suicide go hand in hand similarly, because both are escapes from a world that is 'not always swell', but for others 'can be easy', which to watch others enjoy while you are already hurting and in need (and possibly ignored),makes it all the more excruciatingly mentally painful. They don't share, and its just how it works- "truth hurts". Stay and suffer? It hurts like hell. What other option is there but to try and go 'underground'? If hell is here, maybe that is the way out.... or so it seems to the sufferer. <br /> <br /> The phrase "no love injection" to me, also verifies this is more about the suicide of Bowie's half brother. (The song "Jump They Say" is said to have been written by Bowie about this event) . This world we live in somehow believes very stupidly that injecting a person with 'medication' will be a cure for what the mentally ill need (and have probably always needed which the absence of drove them into the condition they are in) - LOVE. They are always rejected, left alone, but what they really need is inclusion from others who are well, to battle their problems. They need support . Not pills. But even a love 'injection', is probably better than nothing. This is also why drug use is rampant... no love, so people reach for 'a fantasy injection'. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Requiesce in pace
Excellent song! One of my favorites.
Oddly enough, I'm not usually one to say "Oh, this song is about drugs" (especially considering one of my favorite songs is "Puff the Magic Dragon") but for some reason that was the first interpretation I drew out of this song. I'm not sure why... I'm not sure if it's coincidence or if David Bowie meant for that to be one of the interpretations or what. I don't usually listen to David Bowie's stuff other than what he sang and wrote for the Labyrinth soundtrack, so I don't know if he usually writes drug songs or what.
It took me a while to figure out how it actually links to the movie, but I THINK I've figured it out... If you take it literally with the movie itself, for some reason it makes me think that Jareth might have been a kid that was kidnapped and brought into the labyrinth himself, like Toby. He wasn't scared of the labyrinth, though; rather, he WANTED to go there. He didn't like the real world, so he went to the labyrinth instead where he became king. Once he chose to live there, though, he couldn't get out, which is why he wanted to lure Sarah there, so he wouldn't stay lonely. Something like that...
Going with the theme of the movie, it could be talking about preferring to live in fantasy-land rather than the real world. Life can sometimes be easy, but a lot of times it's not. "Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl, 'cuz it hurts like--" Yeah, fantasy-land isn't real, which really sucks. "It's only forever..." I think maybe it's talking about how when you grow up, you can't go back to being a kid again, and you have to deal with grown-up issues whether you like it or not? I'm not sure... Hard to think clearly at 7:20 in the morning. But I think I got the general idea right...
Only thing is, this song seems to be more about staying in fantasy-land. The theme of the movie was that you CAN'T stay in fantasy-land. You DO have to grow up, though you can still have your imagination. But you can't stay a kid forever. In the original script, this was made pretty clear, as there was a scene where Sarah was in the fake version of her room and looking at herself in the mirror, clutching Lancelot (her teddybear). The trash lady had said something along the lines of "You don't want to go out there! It's much safer in here!" As Sarah looks at herself in the mirror, though, she suddenly sees herself as an old woman hugging Lancelot and saying, "You don't want to go out there! It's much safer in here!" So, yeah... we definitely can't stay kids for forever. We DO have to grow up. Though we don't have to lose our imagination--part of what I love about this movie is that it brings up that! Almost every other story with a moral of growing up says we have to give up every part of being a kid, including our imagination... but not this one. Great movie!
@BabyCharmander In reply to your first paragraph. The answer is yes. Bowie wrote lots of songs about drugs, and on drugs. Hell, he didn't even remember recording most of Station to Station. He kicked most of his habits in the early 80's, but I bet there was a lot of bleeding effect in his later work. He was lucky to make it out of the 70's alive and he knew it, I think that's why he was such a happy and upbeat, live and love life to the fullest kind of guy.
gasp How can no one of reviewed the coolest song ever!? The Labyrinth's theme song no less! XD I love this song. Love the movie too. hehee smiles
This is amongs my favorite bowie songs. And it ranks high up there since it is in fact the Labyrinth's theme. I would think that this song is simply saying you should look for love in places you really wouldnt expect and when you do, it will be wonderful?" please correct me if im wrong
Velvet?.... I dont know... Ive heard Bowie do several Velvet Underground covers and I like to think this song is related to the VU and how great they are... just my opinion
This song is so awesome! I always watch the opening of the movie like 7 times before I move on to the rest of the movie.
This one pretty much sums up the themes of Labyrinth perfectly. Best song from the film.
Oh.... oh dear. I can't believe I'm only the 6th person to review this song. I agree with killswitch916. The opening titles of Labyrinth are the best Although I prefer the movie version to the version with the backup vocals. I know these are the actual lyrics "life can be easy", but doesn't that contradict "It's not always swell"? Secondly, what is everyone's interpretation of "underground"? Most obviously it would be Jareth's kingdom of the Labyrinth, but if you take it literally, it could be a religeous kind of thing "when you get to heaven nothing ever hurts again" and you would physically be underground. Good song. Very good song :)
Lost and Lonely, that's underground. Being lost and lonely, I'd suppose from the lyrics
I don't think this was written simply to go with the Labyrinth, although the themes seem to match up well. If you imagine this song without the movie, then it's probably about angst and wanting to die (to go "underground").
actually im pretty sure bowie wrote all of the songs on the soundtrack specifically for the movie...which is amazing btw.....and since i believe the movies theme is escaping reality by way of fantasy, this song becomes easy to understand..."underground" represents fantasy..."no one can blame you for walking away"...no one can blame her for her wanting fantasy over reality. "underground" (fantasy) is better and more beautiful and shell find want shes truly looking for there..