"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.
Go back to those gold sounds
And keep my advent to yourself
Because it's nothing I don't like
Is it a crisis or a boring change?
When it's central, so essential
It has a nice ring when you laugh
At their low life opinions
And they're coming to the chorus now
I keep my address to yourself
'Cause we need secrets
We need secret, 'crets, 'crets, 'crets, 'crets, 'crets
Back right now
Because I never wanna make you feel
That you're social, never ignorant soul
Believe in what you wanna do
And do you think that is a major flaw
When they rise up in the falling rain
And if you stay around
With your knuckles ground down
The trial's over, weapon's found
Keep my address to myself because it's secret
'Cause it's secret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret
'Cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret
'Cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret
Back right now
So drunk in the August sun
And you're the kind of girl I like
Because you're empty and I'm empty
And you can never quarantine the past
Did you remember in December
That I won't eat you when I'm gone
And if I go there, I won't stay there
Because I'm sitting here too long
I've been sitting here too long
And I've been wasted
Advocating that word for the last word
Last words come up, all you've got to waste
And keep my advent to yourself
Because it's nothing I don't like
Is it a crisis or a boring change?
When it's central, so essential
It has a nice ring when you laugh
At their low life opinions
And they're coming to the chorus now
I keep my address to yourself
'Cause we need secrets
We need secret, 'crets, 'crets, 'crets, 'crets, 'crets
Back right now
Because I never wanna make you feel
That you're social, never ignorant soul
Believe in what you wanna do
And do you think that is a major flaw
When they rise up in the falling rain
And if you stay around
With your knuckles ground down
The trial's over, weapon's found
Keep my address to myself because it's secret
'Cause it's secret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret
'Cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret
'Cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret, 'cret
Back right now
So drunk in the August sun
And you're the kind of girl I like
Because you're empty and I'm empty
And you can never quarantine the past
Did you remember in December
That I won't eat you when I'm gone
And if I go there, I won't stay there
Because I'm sitting here too long
I've been sitting here too long
And I've been wasted
Advocating that word for the last word
Last words come up, all you've got to waste
Lyrics submitted by wheaties409, edited by PinkFloydrulez, cbiird, twinfountain, mdznr, Skillstad
Gold Soundz Lyrics as written by Stephen Malkmus
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
This song like others by Pavement is about a turning point, action or inaction, overcoming cynicism and losing contact with the reality of a moment. The narrator expands moments by stepping outside himself and self-judging, but this kind of introspection leaves him powerless, inert.
"Keep my advent to yourself/because it's nothing I don't like"
Vague statement of indecision - so what is it you DO like? The narrator is questioning whether to embrace a change that has come into his life. "Is it a crisis or a boring change?" He seems to not want to decide.
"Believe in what you want to do/And do you think that it's a major flaw/when they rise up in the falling rain?"
In the face of the cynicism of the person he's addressing, he asks is it so awful to try to overcome stasis (rise up)?
"And if you stay around/with your knuckles ground down/the trial's over, the weapon's found"
If you stay to what you know and what's comfortable and don't renew your life and situation, you have no one to blame but yourself. Fait accompli, you are to blame.
This song seems mostly to be an internal dialogue for the narrator, but we can't ignore that it's intermittently staged as a man talking to a woman with whom he had a relationship that is now either dying or long dead.
"I've been sitting here too long."
The relationship is dead; stasis must be overcome. Either a) because the childish cynicism that made for "gold soundz" in the "August sun" is no longer sustainable or b) because the old love has devolved into the kind of relationship where many discussions are about getting the "last word" in.