"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 got a hand
So I got a fist
So I got a plan
It's the best that I can do
Now we'll say it is in God's hands
But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he?
I ain't quite the beauty
Who holds up two guns and shoots at the pretty, pretty view, I
Gotta keep thinking, things of hunters and kings
To block out the view, I gotta get
A new bell to ring
A new song to sing
A steady hand to ring
A readiness of things, a new
Plan to bring to the people
People, I can trick 'em into thinking anything, 'cause you know
For us it's just right in the light
It's gold, it's gold
And you know
I got water and holes in my hands
I'm a digger of holes in a land of holes
And you know
It's the easiest way
And you know
It's the easiest way
And you know
It's the easiest way
And you know
It's the easiest way, hey
So I go
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
I got water and I got holes, oh
La la la la la la
Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts, oh
La la la la la la
I got water and I got holes, oh
La la la la la la
Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts, of ghosts, so
La la la la la la
I got water and I got holes, oh
La la la la la la
Uh, sons and daughters of hungry ghosts, of ghosts, so
(La la la la la la)
I got a hand
So I got a fist
So I got a plan
It's the best I can do
Say it is in God's hands (La la la la la la)
But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he? Sing
La la la la la la
I can't believe in the guns
I can't believe in the view
Ah sing, sing, sing
La la la la la la
I can't believe in those hunter and kings
You sing
La la la la la la
I got a new plan to bring
I got a new song to sing, it goes
La la la la la la
I got a new plan to bring, and you know
And you know
It's the easiest way (La la la la la la)
And you know
It's the easiest way (La la la la la la)
And you know
It's the easiest way (La la la la la la)
And you know
It's the easiest way, hey (La la la la la la)
So I go
So I got a fist
So I got a plan
It's the best that I can do
Now we'll say it is in God's hands
But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he?
I ain't quite the beauty
Who holds up two guns and shoots at the pretty, pretty view, I
Gotta keep thinking, things of hunters and kings
To block out the view, I gotta get
A new bell to ring
A new song to sing
A steady hand to ring
A readiness of things, a new
Plan to bring to the people
People, I can trick 'em into thinking anything, 'cause you know
For us it's just right in the light
It's gold, it's gold
And you know
I got water and holes in my hands
I'm a digger of holes in a land of holes
And you know
It's the easiest way
And you know
It's the easiest way
And you know
It's the easiest way
And you know
It's the easiest way, hey
So I go
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
La la la la la la
I got water and I got holes, oh
La la la la la la
Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts, oh
La la la la la la
I got water and I got holes, oh
La la la la la la
Sons and daughters of hungry ghosts, of ghosts, so
La la la la la la
I got water and I got holes, oh
La la la la la la
Uh, sons and daughters of hungry ghosts, of ghosts, so
(La la la la la la)
I got a hand
So I got a fist
So I got a plan
It's the best I can do
Say it is in God's hands (La la la la la la)
But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he? Sing
La la la la la la
I can't believe in the guns
I can't believe in the view
Ah sing, sing, sing
La la la la la la
I can't believe in those hunter and kings
You sing
La la la la la la
I got a new plan to bring
I got a new song to sing, it goes
La la la la la la
I got a new plan to bring, and you know
And you know
It's the easiest way (La la la la la la)
And you know
It's the easiest way (La la la la la la)
And you know
It's the easiest way (La la la la la la)
And you know
It's the easiest way, hey (La la la la la la)
So I go
Lyrics submitted by artblot, edited by kalvingr, xtreme2252
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Plastic Bag
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Spencer's words on this song...
CMG: "Like, what’s a 'Hungry Ghost?'"
Spencer Krug: "It’s — ok I’m going to forget the details now, so I’m going to sound kind of dumb…But in one particular Buddhist religion — and don’t ask me why I referred to something Buddhist — but there are these neat characters in Buddhism that are these tortured characters. They symbolize one of the levels of Hell. I forget the name for it — but there are a bunch of different levels of Hell, and one of them is this level where hypocrites and liars go; not the worst sins, sort of middle-ground punishment. And when they get there, they turn into hungry ghosts, that’s the best translation for it. And hungry ghosts are always thirsty, and always hungry. They’re sort of like that character Tantalus in Greek mythology: he can’t eat or drink, but he’s always hungry or thirsty. And these ghosts, they have really tiny throats, so if they try to eat, it chokes them and they die, because they only have these little straws for throats. I THINK that when they drink water it turns into fire."
From an interview did. Can find the full version here: cokemachineglow.com/feature/2439/wolf-parade