"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.
III. Heretic
Welcome tired pilgrim into the circle
We have been waiting
Everyone's gathered for your arrival
All the believers
Angels fall all for you, heretic
Demon heart, bleed for us
I've been waiting for you,
weary preacher man
You have been expected
Now we can begin
Let this hallowed Day of Judgment reign
I have known you father
and your sacred quest
Blessed soldier fighting
You shall never rest
I have known you, but do you know me?
Angels fall all for you, heretic
Demon heart, bleed for us
(My soul is yours, Dark Master…I will fight for you)
[CHORUS] Dark Master within, I will fight for you
Dark Master of sin, now my soul is yours
Dark Master, my guide, I will die for you
Dark Master inside
I cannot see his face,
but I could feel his spite
A presence from the dead
Abandoned by the light
This shadow will consume him from within
This power that I sense
The rage behind those eyes
is just a shrouded ghost,
a spirit sealed inside
The body and the soul both threats, for they are one
Angels fall all for you, heretic
Demon heart, bleed for us
(My soul is yours, Dark Master…I will fight for you)
[CHORUS]
Dark Master, amen, I belong to you
Dark Master within
Heil! Heil! Heil! Heil!
(x3)
IV. The Slaughter of the Damned
Don't! Bother trying to find them
They will be coming to you
Fight! Fight and destroy until you can't take anymore
Slay! Spill the blood of the rebels
They are the children of hell
Flesh! Of the undead, stopping at nothing to kill
Sin! Caught in a moment of weakness
Committed the greatest of all
Sold! Half of my soul, and now it's too late for you
[CHORUS] I judge as my eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak of the beast
that lives in all of us
Unwelcome ones,
your time has come
Lord! You are my god and my shepherd
Nothing more shall I want
Walk! Through the abyss
into the shadow of death
Fear! There is no evil to fear now,
for I know you are with me
My! Cup overflows
with my enemy's blood
I! Decay in the house of the lord
Forever amen
Death! Will follow me all the days of my life
[CHORUS]
Servants of the fallen fight to pave the way
for their savior's calling on this wicked day
Through a veil of madness, with a vicious blade,
one man rises up standing in their way
It's time for your reckoning
V. The Reckoning (Instrumental)
VI. Salvation
My soul grows weaker
He knows and he waits
He watches over me,
standing at the infernal gates
In the hour of darkness,
the moment I feared has passed
The moment I lost my faith
Promising salvation
My soul is my own now
I do not fight for you, Dark Master
Welcome tired pilgrim into the circle
We have been waiting
Everyone's gathered for your arrival
All the believers
Angels fall all for you, heretic
Demon heart, bleed for us
I've been waiting for you,
weary preacher man
You have been expected
Now we can begin
Let this hallowed Day of Judgment reign
I have known you father
and your sacred quest
Blessed soldier fighting
You shall never rest
I have known you, but do you know me?
Angels fall all for you, heretic
Demon heart, bleed for us
(My soul is yours, Dark Master…I will fight for you)
[CHORUS] Dark Master within, I will fight for you
Dark Master of sin, now my soul is yours
Dark Master, my guide, I will die for you
Dark Master inside
I cannot see his face,
but I could feel his spite
A presence from the dead
Abandoned by the light
This shadow will consume him from within
This power that I sense
The rage behind those eyes
is just a shrouded ghost,
a spirit sealed inside
The body and the soul both threats, for they are one
Angels fall all for you, heretic
Demon heart, bleed for us
(My soul is yours, Dark Master…I will fight for you)
[CHORUS]
Dark Master, amen, I belong to you
Dark Master within
Heil! Heil! Heil! Heil!
(x3)
IV. The Slaughter of the Damned
Don't! Bother trying to find them
They will be coming to you
Fight! Fight and destroy until you can't take anymore
Slay! Spill the blood of the rebels
They are the children of hell
Flesh! Of the undead, stopping at nothing to kill
Sin! Caught in a moment of weakness
Committed the greatest of all
Sold! Half of my soul, and now it's too late for you
[CHORUS] I judge as my eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak of the beast
that lives in all of us
Unwelcome ones,
your time has come
Lord! You are my god and my shepherd
Nothing more shall I want
Walk! Through the abyss
into the shadow of death
Fear! There is no evil to fear now,
for I know you are with me
My! Cup overflows
with my enemy's blood
I! Decay in the house of the lord
Forever amen
Death! Will follow me all the days of my life
[CHORUS]
Servants of the fallen fight to pave the way
for their savior's calling on this wicked day
Through a veil of madness, with a vicious blade,
one man rises up standing in their way
It's time for your reckoning
V. The Reckoning (Instrumental)
VI. Salvation
My soul grows weaker
He knows and he waits
He watches over me,
standing at the infernal gates
In the hour of darkness,
the moment I feared has passed
The moment I lost my faith
Promising salvation
My soul is my own now
I do not fight for you, Dark Master
Lyrics submitted by Idan, edited by Octavarium64
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Fast Car
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Epic. I love this song.
This song is so win.
Hey Ytse, i think "Dark Master, I'm in" is actually Dark Master, amen
Surprise...another awesome Dream Theater song. As far as the meaning, it seems to be telling a story of a man consumed by evil, who is then shown the light and saved from his hell. Just a nice, dark tale with a happy ending.
As usual, the song is partly christian, but not really. Petrucci throws Christian meanings in there, but always compromises the overall meaning. Anyways, this was quoted from Wikipedia about this song:
"The lyrics tell a story about a man who, at the moment of death, sells half of his soul to a "dark master" in order to gain power to stand in the way of the servants of an evil fallen angel, who are paving the way for their master's coming. The man is seeking revenge on the one who killed his beloved, and also seeks redemption for humanity. At the end he retains his own soul and does not fight for his master.
It is notable that the story told in the song is strikingly similar to the story of Ivan Isaacs told in the Korean comic Priest. Tokyopop, the publisher of Priest, provides a short résumé of the story that even shares certain expressions and phrases with the lyrics of In the Presence of Enemies. John Petrucci also said in an interview that one of the songs in Systematic Chaos was based on a manga [Priest]." Go here to see the Priest references: faq.dtnorway.com/question/1098
Really, this album and probably others by Dream Theater should rightfully be interpreted as a whole. To me, the whole album is telling a story, and one can't really grasp the whole concept without looking at all of it. In pt1, a man has lost his faith, and rebukes the God figure. However, (correct me if I am wrong) it seems that his father, a holy man, dies and leaves him a quest to prevent the evil to take over the world. As the album progresses, he meets remnants of old sins, sees the atrocities of man, prophecies against war. Even either experiences or witnesses the attempted retribution of a soul. At the end, in pt2, he reaches his place, and the "circle" waits there for him. They claim he is a heretic, despite his efforts, and judge him. He turns a full 180, sells half his soul in order to destroy those who claimed to be holy, but sees his own error and turns from the darkness as well, and claims the power from the good entity and destroys those who are the true heretics. Or maybe I'm full of it, I don't know, but either way one should look at the full album for the story to fall together.
I read a comment from someone who said they were one of the extras in the song for the part where they said “Hail, Hail, Hail, Hail” apparently they were actually just saying “Hey”
Before I used to listen to these and not care the fact that hes saying "Dark Master I will fight for you" but for someone like me whose getting started on Christianity the words really scared me until I remembered that the song finishes with the heretic saying he will no longer fight for his dark master. In the beginning of Pt. 1 he says I see a white light shining there before me, walking to it I waited for the end. Okay how I see that is the fact that Lucifer is the angel of light and shines it to others to trap them and make them follow, however he waited for the end part I believe is the fact that his light isn't eternal like god's light is. like others have said its definitely in my eyes a test and a falling of strength in the Heretic. Obviously he feels like God isn't fulfilling his needs and falls to Lucifer so he can gain power to try to overcome others? correct me if i am wrong on why he fell to him, however temptation definitely got the best of him and he decided to leave god for being what he would define as free. However after seeing what his "Dark Master" has in store for his followers, by using them and discarding them when need fit then he realizes his mistake. Another part that I am having a hard time with is "the one man rises up standing in their way" ok is that Jesus? or what, I mean I could see it as Jesus (God just as the son) trying to prevent Lucifer from leaving his realm or his followers helping him come out but I have no idea. any thoughts?
Some corrections I think:
Walk, Through the abyss Into the shadow of death
My, Cup overflows My enemy's blood
Death, Follow me All the days of my life
Corrected.