He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Similarly made
Similarly sold
In a motorcade
Abandoned when they're old
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Engine in the front
Jack in the back
Wheels take the brunt
Pinion and a rack
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
But people are strangers
They change with the curve
From time zone to time zone
As we can observe
They shut down their borders
And think they're immune
They stand on their differences
And shoot at the moon
But cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Drive â??em on the left
Drive â??em on the right
Susceptible to theft
In the middle of the night
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
I once had a car
That was more like a home
I lived in it, loved in it
Polished its chrome
If some of my homes
Had been more like my car
I probably wouldn't have
Traveled this far
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Similarly made
Similarly sold
In a motorcade
Abandoned when they're old
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Engine in the front
Jack in the back
Wheels take the brunt
Pinion and a rack
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
But people are strangers
They change with the curve
From time zone to time zone
As we can observe
They shut down their borders
And think they're immune
They stand on their differences
And shoot at the moon
But cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Drive â??em on the left
Drive â??em on the right
Susceptible to theft
In the middle of the night
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
I once had a car
That was more like a home
I lived in it, loved in it
Polished its chrome
If some of my homes
Had been more like my car
I probably wouldn't have
Traveled this far
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Cars are cars
All over the world
Lyrics submitted by shadowboxing
Cars Are Cars Lyrics as written by Paul Simon
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Because it's probably Simon's most embarrassing lyrics ...