"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.
Blood is pouring
Sleep is boring
Don't stop running
I'm here counting
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
Really keep fucking with me
There's nowhere else to go
So I walk but seem to crawl
For I've given in today
Now I run into a wall
'Cause I cannot find my way
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
Endless worrying
Life is storming
Give up beating
I'll start bleeding
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
Really keep fucking with me
There's no where else to go
So I walk but seem to crawl
For I've given in today
Now I've run into a wall
'Cause I cannot find my way
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
What really do I have to follow?
Nothing makes sense at all
Taking something from nothing
Watch me as I fall
I'm bringing me down
I'm bringing me down
I'm bringing me down
I'm bringing me down
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
Sleep is boring
Don't stop running
I'm here counting
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
Really keep fucking with me
There's nowhere else to go
So I walk but seem to crawl
For I've given in today
Now I run into a wall
'Cause I cannot find my way
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
Endless worrying
Life is storming
Give up beating
I'll start bleeding
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
The life, the hurt, the pain, the hate
Really keep fucking with me
There's no where else to go
So I walk but seem to crawl
For I've given in today
Now I've run into a wall
'Cause I cannot find my way
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
What really do I have to follow?
Nothing makes sense at all
Taking something from nothing
Watch me as I fall
I'm bringing me down
I'm bringing me down
I'm bringing me down
I'm bringing me down
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
You've gotta come with me
(I cannot stand this place)
We've fallen off the wall
(And I'm here in disgrace)
We had a chance to rise
(And now I can't replace)
We're going all the way
(And I'm in deaths' embrace)
Lyrics submitted by Robert Metal, edited by retry4z
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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
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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.
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Hmmmm... Interesting song. Makes me think of several different things at once. I definitely think that suicide is in there and that the message is kind of "Life sucks for me, I'm hurting and I can't make it stop no matter what I do so I'm just gonna kill it". It describes how you can be running through life and either thinking that you're doing all right so long as you keep trying to fight the crap or thinking that you're getting away from the pain, but you really aren't and next thing you know you're running headlong in to it--a wall of problems and shit that keep you from moving forward. When I think about it, I imagine climbing up the wall in an attempt to get over it, work through the problems. Then I get the feeling that the climber realizes they've made a mistake in trying to take this task on yet can't go back now. It's too late to run off in a new direction and so now you're screwed. Death seems the best way out. But I also somehow imagine that there's someone--a loved one--is involved somehow and the singer wants them to either come with him to the afterlife or void beyond or whatever he believes waits for him or is saying to them that they had their chances to make it good, but didn't take it when they should have. Don't ask. I'm weird. I'm probably wrong on everything.