"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 think I'm sophisticated 'cause I'm living my life
Like a good homo sapiens
But all around me everybody's multiplying
And they're walking round like flies man
So I'm no better than the animals sitting
In the cages in the zoo, man
'Cause compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees
I am an apeman
I think I'm so educated and I'm so civilized
'Cause I'm a strict vegetarian
But with the over-population and inflation and starvation
And the crazy politicians
I don't feel safe in this world no more
I don't want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
'Cause compared to the sun that sits in the sky
Compared to the clouds as they roll by
Compared to the bugs and the spiders and flies I am an apeman
In man's evolution he's created the city and the motor traffic rumble
But give me half a chance and I'd be taking off my clothes
And living in the jungle
'Cause the only time that I feel at ease
Is swinging up and down in a coconut tree
Oh what a life of luxury to be like an apeman
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
I look out the window but I can't see the sky
The air pollution is a-fogging up my eyes
I want to get out of this city alive and make like an apeman
Oh come on and love me, be my apeman girl
And we'll be so happy in my apeman world
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
I'll be your Tarzan, you'll be my Jane
I'll keep you warm and you'll keep me sane
We'll sit in the trees and eat bananas all day, just like an apeman
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
I don't feel safe in this world no more
I don't want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
Like a good homo sapiens
But all around me everybody's multiplying
And they're walking round like flies man
So I'm no better than the animals sitting
In the cages in the zoo, man
'Cause compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees
I am an apeman
I think I'm so educated and I'm so civilized
'Cause I'm a strict vegetarian
But with the over-population and inflation and starvation
And the crazy politicians
I don't feel safe in this world no more
I don't want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
'Cause compared to the sun that sits in the sky
Compared to the clouds as they roll by
Compared to the bugs and the spiders and flies I am an apeman
In man's evolution he's created the city and the motor traffic rumble
But give me half a chance and I'd be taking off my clothes
And living in the jungle
'Cause the only time that I feel at ease
Is swinging up and down in a coconut tree
Oh what a life of luxury to be like an apeman
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
I look out the window but I can't see the sky
The air pollution is a-fogging up my eyes
I want to get out of this city alive and make like an apeman
Oh come on and love me, be my apeman girl
And we'll be so happy in my apeman world
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
I'll be your Tarzan, you'll be my Jane
I'll keep you warm and you'll keep me sane
We'll sit in the trees and eat bananas all day, just like an apeman
I'm an apeman, I'm an ape, apeman, oh I'm an apeman
I'm a King Kong man, I'm a voodoo man, oh I'm an apeman
I don't feel safe in this world no more
I don't want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman
Lyrics submitted by planetearth, edited by Samsami, Tricky1979
Apeman Lyrics as written by Ray Davies
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Abkco Music Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I'm not sure how this song can be racist, because it's about the whole human race. Buy anyways, great song. I think Ray was a true romantic (in the true definition of the word, not the pepe le pew type of romantic). Many of Ray's songs deal with going back to the simple life (see the whole Village Green album, waterloo sunset, and many other songs) My only complaint is that the lyrics are difficult to understand at first, which is a shame because they are so meaningful.