Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
She said she felt an aching,
And went to lay down and died in her room, alone.
He said he tried to wake her,
Oh, how he tried, but she didn't move
And he was in the T.V. room.
Maybe on that day he loved her more than his own life
And maybe on that day he wished it was he who could have died
Maybe on that day he felt his body disappear into the space
Next to her on the bed.
Greg grew up under his dad's hand
Pushing tractors, pushing snuff into his face out in the field,
But the doctors said his gut just wasn't fixable right now
And anyway, a country man can't pay those city bills.
Well my uncle and aunt put him up in a hospital room.
One day he said "Daddy, I see God, but I just ain't ready to go.
But Grampa's at my shoulder, and he swears I'm not alone."
Well on that day, I saw my uncle cry for his dead son.
We were all left alone, without a flag and gun salute
And held my sister's hand as we sat silent pew.
Oh Katie, Katie, you spoke beautifully that day,
And I'm sure you know that firm handshake
Meant more than he could ever say.
And went to lay down and died in her room, alone.
He said he tried to wake her,
Oh, how he tried, but she didn't move
And he was in the T.V. room.
Maybe on that day he loved her more than his own life
And maybe on that day he wished it was he who could have died
Maybe on that day he felt his body disappear into the space
Next to her on the bed.
Greg grew up under his dad's hand
Pushing tractors, pushing snuff into his face out in the field,
But the doctors said his gut just wasn't fixable right now
And anyway, a country man can't pay those city bills.
Well my uncle and aunt put him up in a hospital room.
One day he said "Daddy, I see God, but I just ain't ready to go.
But Grampa's at my shoulder, and he swears I'm not alone."
Well on that day, I saw my uncle cry for his dead son.
We were all left alone, without a flag and gun salute
And held my sister's hand as we sat silent pew.
Oh Katie, Katie, you spoke beautifully that day,
And I'm sure you know that firm handshake
Meant more than he could ever say.
Lyrics submitted by ElegiacCatalyst
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Spirit Within
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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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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"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.
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
This is one of the saddest songs I've ever heard.