"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.
I fell in love with a girl of nineteen
A black-haired girl I called Abilene
"Young girl, where's your husband?"
"Sadly," she replied, "I do not have one."
"It's you I'll marry with your parents' permission."
"No fine sir, they will not let me marry
For I am a young girl
And you are a man without money."
"Then I'll come by your window
Tonight when they both will be sleeping
Outside your window in a carriage I will be waiting
They'll awake, find you gone
Rub their eyes and think they're dreaming."
And never did they think
That their Abilene would leave them
"Now fine sir, where is it you shall take me?
Is it the mountains high
Or is it the deep blue sea?"
A black-haired girl I called Abilene
"Young girl, where's your husband?"
"Sadly," she replied, "I do not have one."
"It's you I'll marry with your parents' permission."
"No fine sir, they will not let me marry
For I am a young girl
And you are a man without money."
"Then I'll come by your window
Tonight when they both will be sleeping
Outside your window in a carriage I will be waiting
They'll awake, find you gone
Rub their eyes and think they're dreaming."
And never did they think
That their Abilene would leave them
"Now fine sir, where is it you shall take me?
Is it the mountains high
Or is it the deep blue sea?"
Lyrics submitted by sarahsavedlatin
Abilene Lyrics as written by Damien Jurado
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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it hit me. and all it took was a drive through the beuatiful canadian rockys
i think "is it in the mountaisn high or is it the deep blue sea" is a question of weither hes taking her to heaven or hell
I think "Is it in the mountains high? Or is it the deep blue sea?" means heaven or hell, happiness or sadness, but there is also a tone of weird threat of isolation to this whole song. For example, when the speaker is talking about her parents, and how they will not believe she left them----he sounds kind of gleeful to be taking this naive girl away from everything and everyone she knows.
It could also be the devil himself. It sounds rather mysterious and dark, like the Devil has come to tempt her away from her "goodness" and into the dark unknown.
holy cow, this song is great. i think that damien jurado is amazing. i don't really think that there is anything to explain about this song, it's fairly straightforward. i love the midwestern country/folk music that damien is bringing back. really good, solid musicianship.
it seems a bit strange posting this after all this time but my reading of this song is a bit different. To me the guy who's telling the story is a hopeless dreamer (note the way he seems overly interested in her parents reactions to their eloping). Abilene is well aware of this. The final lines are like her saying... and sure...where are you going to take me (with no money!) China? The Moon?
this song is great, just listen, there's nothing to realy explain
Agreed
a beaut.
agreed. asojfdhasljdfhksdfhl
(omfgwtfstfuplzkthx) this remarkable song sounds botch catchy and ancient.
beautiful song
"is it in the mountaisn high or is it the deep blue sea" that just seems like something to me that could mean something else haha