Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Last night I swallowed liquor and a lighter
And this morning I threw up fire
But it's nothing new
I've been piecing it together and it's got something to do
With every look thrown like a knife across a crowded room
And every slow and quiet car ride I spent drinking in the backseat
Every stupid melody to every stupid song,
And every stupid word that everybody's hanging on
What difference does this difference in age make?
I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick.
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess
Last night I fell asleep next to a liar
And I woke up with a shiner
And it's all that I remember from a night spent lying on my back with a view
Of a stone white ceiling and the back of your head
And this quiet dark bed feels like the middle of nowhere
And we beat each other up just like we always do
When I'm talking to myself I'd always rather be talking to you
What difference does this difference in age make?
I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick.
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess
Call homicide, take the case to court
'Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor
They hung her from the bridge on Monday
The gathering turned to a mob out on the lawn
They dropped her body in the river
School and work returned to normal before long
(before long... and no one will mention any of this again)
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess
Call homicide, take the case to court
Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor
And this morning I threw up fire
But it's nothing new
I've been piecing it together and it's got something to do
With every look thrown like a knife across a crowded room
And every slow and quiet car ride I spent drinking in the backseat
Every stupid melody to every stupid song,
And every stupid word that everybody's hanging on
What difference does this difference in age make?
I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick.
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess
Last night I fell asleep next to a liar
And I woke up with a shiner
And it's all that I remember from a night spent lying on my back with a view
Of a stone white ceiling and the back of your head
And this quiet dark bed feels like the middle of nowhere
And we beat each other up just like we always do
When I'm talking to myself I'd always rather be talking to you
What difference does this difference in age make?
I know how it ends... she'll kill me quick.
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess
Call homicide, take the case to court
'Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor
They hung her from the bridge on Monday
The gathering turned to a mob out on the lawn
They dropped her body in the river
School and work returned to normal before long
(before long... and no one will mention any of this again)
Call 911, I'm already dead but
Someone should be caught and held responsible
For this bloody mess
Call homicide, take the case to court
Cause her lips taste like a loaded gun
I'm her number one chalk outline on the floor
Lyrics submitted by BrandNew1208, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Sudden Death in Carolina Lyrics as written by Garrett Tierney Brian Lane
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
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"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.
GOD SAKE