"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.
You're number eight. Your name is Jane, with black hair, braids, and black lines around your eyes... Shades to hide your habit. I don't know your age, though you guessed mine... My sign. Your sign! The opening line is always just the same. The same intention, destination. You and me and rainbows.
Loaded guns attract. We know the rules, we don't react. We wait in hope, we don't expect - You and me and rainbows.
Down here everything is fine. We have a straw, we have a line. We have a bag, a rock, a mountain with a string of shepherds driving lions. Aiming skewers at the sheep... face down, asleep in onion fields. The frying fields. The worms... they peep through holes which once were eyes. They thrive... they bake although we painted out the sky and the sun. There's only thunder, and you and me and raindows.
Let's hide out in the lay-by, let the time fly by. Tonight's disguise - a car crash with our wheels like shattered stars, our dashboard charred. Our windscreen... a graveyard for the flies (we're fast!) The hungry flies are circling, mourning as the watchers squat with cameras, cakes and flasks. They're spying, spitting as the blue light flashes, axes swing. We're broken wings, but still we'll fly and we'll reach our destination - you and me and rainbows.
And if we turn the lights down low and watch the sky cry through the window... Will I watch your fingers grow and stretch like butterflies? The shadows flexing, licking toes, and blinding as slowly sun sets on the same old hill. The same red glow. We're quite alone - just you and me and rainbows.
Everything I own is in the corner of your room. It's covered with a sheet just like it died - but I will take a broom. I'll sweep it new again, arrange it... Oh, I'll grow a dozen hands. No I never will neglect my world again. I'm safe beneath my blanket. Call it home... For you. For me... and rainbows
Loaded guns attract
We know the rules, we don't react
We wait in hope
We don't expect
Just you and me and rainbows
Looking down
Loaded guns attract. We know the rules, we don't react. We wait in hope, we don't expect - You and me and rainbows.
Down here everything is fine. We have a straw, we have a line. We have a bag, a rock, a mountain with a string of shepherds driving lions. Aiming skewers at the sheep... face down, asleep in onion fields. The frying fields. The worms... they peep through holes which once were eyes. They thrive... they bake although we painted out the sky and the sun. There's only thunder, and you and me and raindows.
Let's hide out in the lay-by, let the time fly by. Tonight's disguise - a car crash with our wheels like shattered stars, our dashboard charred. Our windscreen... a graveyard for the flies (we're fast!) The hungry flies are circling, mourning as the watchers squat with cameras, cakes and flasks. They're spying, spitting as the blue light flashes, axes swing. We're broken wings, but still we'll fly and we'll reach our destination - you and me and rainbows.
And if we turn the lights down low and watch the sky cry through the window... Will I watch your fingers grow and stretch like butterflies? The shadows flexing, licking toes, and blinding as slowly sun sets on the same old hill. The same red glow. We're quite alone - just you and me and rainbows.
Everything I own is in the corner of your room. It's covered with a sheet just like it died - but I will take a broom. I'll sweep it new again, arrange it... Oh, I'll grow a dozen hands. No I never will neglect my world again. I'm safe beneath my blanket. Call it home... For you. For me... and rainbows
Loaded guns attract
We know the rules, we don't react
We wait in hope
We don't expect
Just you and me and rainbows
Looking down
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Fast Car
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And cocaine too...
"We have a straw, we have a line..."
this song makes me naked.
Edward Ka-Spel ::: "This could be my favorite TG piece. The whole thing was conceived on the bus with Skinny Puppy in 1987 when we were on the way to New York. We'd had a show cancelled in Trenton, New Jersey and decided to have a, let's say, psychedelic, hallucinatory party on the bus while we drove to Washington, DC. It was a glorious journey, full of laughter, deep communication, praying to the Washington Monument and not finding a motel for AGES. I just jotted down the words and it seemed to be all about this amazing tour, my sadder life back in Holland, and, I guess, my whole place on the planet...When it came to the music, Cevin and I literally took turns creating scenarios while Rave (Dave Ogilvie) interpreted the ideas we had with the vision of a guru. It still makes me cry now."
cEvin Key ::: "This was a conceptual track that we had decided to use an entire reel of 2" tape for the recording (16 minutes). I recall that Edward had prewriiten the sequence of the song on to a small Roland keyboard at Rave's house. We added a few other tracks and then went to Mushrooom. We had a few special friends in attendance that evening as we recorded it all in one night. Adrian Sherwood was there with Doug Wimbish for a brief period just before recording started. I think that hyped us out a bit. Lee Salford (Section 25) was there, who plays the amazing marching drums in the song. Ogre was there, and the duet between him and Ed is pretty classic. Edward had a great idea about what he wanted from each section, and we followed suit. What a great time that was."
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