"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.
This is an evil generation
I see with my eyes
I seen 'em walking around in their suits
And honey I seen the ties
Evil girls biting good girls
Turning good girls into evil girls
Evil boys eating evil hamburgers
Evil boys eating evil fries
This is an evil generation
Rock and roll evacuation
As far as the eye can see
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Tune into this radio station
Rock and roll evacuation
In a fit of emergency
We are just hungry little creatures
Feeding upon lies
I seen 'em lining us up on the wall
And trading us for pies
Seen a man on the television telling me to listen to the radio
Hear the man on the radio, telling me no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
This is a bad, bad situation
Rock and roll evacuation
It's not looking too good to me
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Evil spreads across the nation
Rock and roll evacuation
Apocalyptic insurgency
You kill the body child, but the head is still gonna live
You can give all your money now, until there's nothing left to give
You can play your electric guitar but it ain't gonna change the world
You can get all emotional on me, cry like a little girl
Cry
We are disposable creations, they're throwing us away
Ignoring everything that we do and everything that we say
Mr. President make a little money, sending people you don't know to Iraq
Mr. President I don't like you, you don't know how to rock
This is an evil generation
Rock and roll evacuation
As far as the eye can see
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Tune into this radio station
Rock and roll evacuation
In a fit of emergency
I see with my eyes
I seen 'em walking around in their suits
And honey I seen the ties
Evil girls biting good girls
Turning good girls into evil girls
Evil boys eating evil hamburgers
Evil boys eating evil fries
This is an evil generation
Rock and roll evacuation
As far as the eye can see
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Tune into this radio station
Rock and roll evacuation
In a fit of emergency
We are just hungry little creatures
Feeding upon lies
I seen 'em lining us up on the wall
And trading us for pies
Seen a man on the television telling me to listen to the radio
Hear the man on the radio, telling me no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
This is a bad, bad situation
Rock and roll evacuation
It's not looking too good to me
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Evil spreads across the nation
Rock and roll evacuation
Apocalyptic insurgency
You kill the body child, but the head is still gonna live
You can give all your money now, until there's nothing left to give
You can play your electric guitar but it ain't gonna change the world
You can get all emotional on me, cry like a little girl
Cry
We are disposable creations, they're throwing us away
Ignoring everything that we do and everything that we say
Mr. President make a little money, sending people you don't know to Iraq
Mr. President I don't like you, you don't know how to rock
This is an evil generation
Rock and roll evacuation
As far as the eye can see
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Tune into this radio station
Rock and roll evacuation
In a fit of emergency
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
For the record this song is titled "Rock And Roll Evacuation". Sorry Mr.Submitter
I think this is about the lack of true rock bands today. You have all this weepy alternative and emo stuff. You can try to stop it by forming your own band and playing your electric guitar and it's not going to stop anything. Kickass song.
Amazing Song, very catchy!
I think that this song is about the Youth (mainly of America) being too fat and lazy to rebel againt the goverment.
Talking of killing the body and the head still living, could be removing the republicans from power dosent actualy end the problem, the country is to far in the red.
There is no more rock and roll rebels any more, or atleased none who are actualy doign anythign about it.
thats my 2c