"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.
Both eyes drinking cool water, not the first daughter so I can't see why you're wrestling with words at last, a tradition you've long outclassed. Come true for the new martyrs, with your hair parted like the Red Sea. You're addressing the world from your bed, all alone in the crowd like you said. Come true, its only divine right. Here's Leda in her white glory, all her back-story has been wiped clean. Just another apocryphal mess, never promised I'm anything less. So come true, these are safe waters for the first daughter, so I can't see why you're pushing the pull that you've had, while the rest of the girls go bad. Come true its only divine right. Slip back through the plot for the new shock, seeing us then, when we were the real people. Face down in the old money, left the crowd wondering what your next moves gonna be in the moments ahead, while the rest of the girls go bad. Come true, its only divine right.
Lyrics submitted by Statbucksbabe28
It's Only Divine Right Lyrics as written by Carl Newman
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"you're addressing the world from your bed"
This line reminds of that Gilda Radner character on SNL that had a "show" in her room. That little girl, I don't remember her name.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this song?
I heard from some mp3 blog that this song is about the Bush daughters.
it does make sense that it's about the bush daughters. i hadn't thought of that at all. it's an amazing song, whatever it's about.
Yeah, Carl Newman said it was about Bush. Here's the link to the interview: pitchforkmedia.com/interviews/n/new-pornographers-05/
I don't really get that from the lyrics though, but whatever.
in that pitchfork interview he was talking about how it was like Ancient Rome and the spoils of the emperor and all, so the "here's Leda in her white glory" part might be an allusion to how Jove/Zeus/Jupiter thought that it was his "divine right" to sleep with every pretty girl out there.
I'm sorry, but does the second "divine right" in the chorus always sound like "divine rapture" or even "divine raptor?" i can't get over it, it simply never sounds like he's just repeating divine right. Am I the only one hearing this? :P
Nah, you're totally right. It just never got corrected.