"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.
We take sour sips from life's lush lips
And we shake, shake, shake the hips in relationships
Stomp out this disaster town
You'll put your eyes to the sun and say, "I know
You're only blinding to keep back what the clouds are hiding."
And we might have started singing just a little soon
We're throwing stones at a glass moon
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning, whoa-oh
We keep the beat with your blistered feet
We bullet the words at the mockingbirds singing
Slept through the weekend and dreaming
Of sinking with the melody of the cliffs of eternity
Got postcards from my former selves saying, "How you been?"
We might have said goodbyes just a little soon
(Stomp out this disaster town)
Robbing lips, kissing banks under this moon
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning, whoa-oh
It was ice cream headaches and sweet avalanche
When the pearls in our shells got up to dance
You call me a bad tipper of the cradle
Tired yawns for fawns on hunter's lawns
We're the has-beens of husbands
Sharpening the knives of young wives
Take two years and call me when you're better
Take teardrops of mine, find yourself wetter
Whoa oh oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
And we shake, shake, shake the hips in relationships
Stomp out this disaster town
You'll put your eyes to the sun and say, "I know
You're only blinding to keep back what the clouds are hiding."
And we might have started singing just a little soon
We're throwing stones at a glass moon
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning, whoa-oh
We keep the beat with your blistered feet
We bullet the words at the mockingbirds singing
Slept through the weekend and dreaming
Of sinking with the melody of the cliffs of eternity
Got postcards from my former selves saying, "How you been?"
We might have said goodbyes just a little soon
(Stomp out this disaster town)
Robbing lips, kissing banks under this moon
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning, whoa-oh
It was ice cream headaches and sweet avalanche
When the pearls in our shells got up to dance
You call me a bad tipper of the cradle
Tired yawns for fawns on hunter's lawns
We're the has-beens of husbands
Sharpening the knives of young wives
Take two years and call me when you're better
Take teardrops of mine, find yourself wetter
Whoa oh oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Whoa oh, we're so miserable and stunning
Whoa oh, love songs for the genuinely cunning
Lyrics submitted by bestthingintown, edited by Mellow_Harsher
The Carpal Tunnel of Love Lyrics as written by Joseph Mark Trohman Andrew John Hurley
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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A great song to analyze.
I feel the overall meaning is a relationship that two try to make work even though it's a relationship that will fail because it is based off of lust rather than love. Yet, the song mocks this idea by its trendy frenzy catchy beat.
Right from the start we hear "we take sour sips from life's lush lips" indicating a "sour" relationship, in other words, one that isn't working. The "lush" lips indicates that the relationship is based off of lust of lips (or the taste) rather than actual true love.
"And we shake shake shake the hips in relationships" I believe indicates the two lovers trying to "shake" off all the doubts hoping that the relationship will get better.
"Stop by this disaster town and you'll put your eyes to the sun and say 'I know'" indicates that the relationship is a "disaster" and the two involved know about it, though they stare at the sun, hoping for a better relationship even though they know it won't happen. This again indicates the phrase "You're only blinding to keep back what the clouds are hiding."
"And we have started singing just a little soon, we're throwing stones in a glass room (moon)" indicates that the relationship has gotten farther than it should have gotten, causing it to become chaotic (chaos is also referenced by the random lyrics and upbeat of the song).
"We're so miserable and stunning" is an ironic line because the song is really upbeat when it says this, and it comes off as an oxymoron (miserably stunning). Basically the lyrics read the irony of the relationship which is beautifully miserable (thus the upbeat), which indicates that they aren't happy about the relationship but they are happy to try to make the relationship fail, despite it not actually working at all. Reminds me of a teenaged relationship for the sake of having a relationship.
"Genuinely cunning" is another oxymoron-like phrase indicating that the two lovers are both genuine to each other because both in the relationship try to make the relationship work without telling the other about how badly it is going, even though in retrospect their slyness is represented by their dislike of the relationship in which they fail to tell the other about.
"We keep the beat with blistered feet"- they try to make it work even though deep down inside it doesn't
"We bullet the words at the mockingbirds"- A metaphor for breaking the rhythm of a relationship, much like how shooting a mockingbird breaks the mockingbird's song and innocence (as in the book To Kill A Mockingbird).
Overall, this song features several oxymorons which are put together to explain a relationship on a pendulum. The relationship is overall negative, but the lovers try to stay positive and hide the negatives so that it looks like they love each other (with the catchy beats, and positive words) when in reality they hate the relationship deep down inside. Both lovers try to ignore the facts about the relationship failing and try to make things work, thus there is a forced balance, as you see in the oxymorons.
The mockingbird is also a reference to the overall song being a mock about a loveless relationship.
If this is what the rest of the album is going to sound out they might aswell give it all up now.
I think fall out boy is terrible, but this songs seems to have alot of meaning to it. It's true about people
sorry it's genuinly cunning not genuine and cunning
i liked it as soon as i heard it. didn't understand it but definitely liked it. i'm not one of those people who only like the new cd if it sounds like the bands first one. FOB does no wrong as far as i'm concerned. This ain't a scene is pretty easy to understand. i can't wait for the new cd to come out..
please this song is them going back to their BEST work on TTTYG. it reminds me a lot of their best on that cd... (saturday) even hand of god and IGADAAABITSYSSYM on FUCT.. if you don't like it cuz you liked sugar so much then that's just lame... this song's awesome period. can't wait to mosh to this song.
this song is different from what they've done in the near past. Less pop-py. I like it. The new album is just going to kick ass. And the lyrics are as great as ever.
what does the screamy bit mean? it all seems totally random
haha i love the scream part.. we'll know the exact lyrics when they actually release them... right now i love how this and TAASIAAR are two totally different... this is reverting back to TTTYG and the other is a new sound... sweet!:)
I love this line: "Stop by this disaster town You'll put your eyes to the sun and say "I know" I have no clue what it means but I love it.
this song is amazing. I don't think they've changed their sound at all and that's a good thing. I think I like this one a little bit more than arms race, though. I can't wait for the new CD.
simply amazing