Brave New World Lyrics
Wonderin' if the third World War started yet.
I told her I was pulling up and heading west.
She said she would have come but she was overdressed.
So I sent a picture postcard of a midwest bank.
She wrote me that she showed it to her new friend Frank
who noticed in a window on the 19th floor
a guy my age about to prove that man can't soar
if I could just check around before I left this town
for slow-mo footage of the tumble down so
but this ain't no golden age.
You looked pretty on the freeway.
Let's drive into the brave new world.
The driver lost the map and he was terrified.
Everybody whispering to save his pride say,
"Son, would you be kind enough to be our guide?"
The driver yells "the one in back already tried,
but his memory is rusty and his vision tied."
Glasses and lubricant were by his side but
the tin man was inanimate, the lion lied.
but I did not want to be another musketeer
plus the gas runs out before the van's in gear.
but this ain't no golden age.
You looked so pretty on the freeway.
Let's drive into the brave new world.
They're looking for a way out of the cul-de-sac.
Tearing through the phone book and the almanac
they all have dusty noses 'cause they sniff shellac.
They finally found the number of a matador
who rode up in a Beemer with a pricey whore.
But Buster wasn't quick enough, he'd locked the door
and rode off sayin' he'd be back before the war.
and I did not want to stick around and just look old
when I saw you pulling onto my soft shoulder.
but this ain't no golden age.
You looked pretty on the freeway.
Let's drive into the brave new world.
Please don't hit me if I do say
but this ain't no golden age.
You looked so pretty on the freeway.
Let's drive into the brave new world.
I really love this song, but its lyrics are very surreal.
I think the title is interesting... "Brave New World" was novel by Aldous Huxley written in 1931. Its a rather dark view of the future as a utopia gone wrong. Thats seems to be a good representation of the theme of the song: The realization that you are lost, just like the rest of the world, which seems to be heading toward disaster but has no idea how to get on a better track.
There is a repeated theme in the second and third stanza of people realizing they are lost and wandering, and are looking for help getting on track.
The second stanza I think is a metaphor for joining up with a group (the caravan of people could represent a social movement or something) that has lost their direction. The narrator decides to get out while he can since he doesn't want to get too caught up with it.
The third stanza is about a group that's realized they're going in circles and is trying to get help finding a way out.
There's a reference to a "third world war" in the first and third stanzas. I think its used as a statement that the world is headed for disaster and everyone knows its just a matter of time before everything blows up, but no one knows exactly when its going to happen.
So I guess much of the song is a metaphor for the realization that your life is not really going where you want, but that all the wrong turns are a mirror (or maybe consequence) of the state of the world in general is in.
The chorus seems to be the narrorator's telling someone that he's realized his life is pretty messed up, but then again, so is society as a whole, and that he just wants to make the best of it by enjoying the journey in the company of someone he cares about.
Don't know but it's awesome poetry and an excellent song.
I agree with the two comments from 16 years ago, lol
I think the imagery of chaos in the wake of a third world war serves to represent the behavior of people under social and political pressure in general.
The literal characters in the song, following the announcement of WWIII, turn to suicide [on the 19th floor, a guy my age about to prove that man can't soar],
forming traveling caravans/splinter groups out of desperation, without proper plans or accommodations [A van pulls up and someone offers me a ride, The driver lost the map and he was terrified],
drug use [they all have dusty noses 'cause they sniff shellac],
and running away from their regular lives [But Buster wasn't quick enough, he'd locked the door, and rode off sayin' he'd be back before the war]
The narrator is accepting his circumstances; his lover "looks pretty on the freeway," and he's entering into the chaos before him with a somewhat resigned, 'what can you do' attitude, just "driv[ing] into the brave new world."
When looking at the lyrics as allegory, it's easy to see the narrator as someone who accepts the ups and downs of life, politics and social conditions, choosing to enjoy the ride with the person/people closest to them, as opposed to reacting in the negative ways that the people around them do.
The song has a somewhat laissez-faire messaging to it, placing the narrator's focus on the positives in their life as opposed to the disasters surrounding them, because they can only control what's in their metaphorical car. Anarchy? What anarchy? I'm just taking a ride with my lover, man...!
God, I love Michael Penn. Can you tell? I love Michael Penn.
[Edit: Those darn asterisks Sorry for the spacing :( ]