"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.
Well, in eighteen-fourteen we took a little trip
Along with colonel jackson down the mighty mississip
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody british at the town of new orleans.
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Well we eye-balled the river and we see the limeys come
Musta been a hunnert of 'em beatin' on a drum
And then they stepped so high and they made the bugles ring
We hid behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Now, old hickory says we can take 'em by surprise
If we don't shoot our wads 'til we look 'em in the eyes
So we held off our fire 'til we see them real well
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave 'em hell
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where the rabbits couldn't go
Ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.
Well, we fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we turned his tail around
We stuffed his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind
And when we lit the fuse that old gator blew his mind
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where the rabbits couldn't go
Ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.
Hup, hip, trip, four.
You know, you old boys gonna be marchin' right smart, onced* you learn to count to four.
Along with colonel jackson down the mighty mississip
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody british at the town of new orleans.
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Well we eye-balled the river and we see the limeys come
Musta been a hunnert of 'em beatin' on a drum
And then they stepped so high and they made the bugles ring
We hid behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Now, old hickory says we can take 'em by surprise
If we don't shoot our wads 'til we look 'em in the eyes
So we held off our fire 'til we see them real well
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave 'em hell
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where the rabbits couldn't go
Ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.
Well, we fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we turned his tail around
We stuffed his head with cannon balls and powdered his behind
And when we lit the fuse that old gator blew his mind
[Chorus]
We fired our guns and the british kept a-comin'
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they all began a-runnin'
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico
Well, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where the rabbits couldn't go
Ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the mississippi to the gulf of mexico.
Hup, hip, trip, four.
You know, you old boys gonna be marchin' right smart, onced* you learn to count to four.
Lyrics submitted by Rider_of_the_Sun
The Battle of New Orleans Lyrics as written by James Morris
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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