"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.
Get hot
Get too close to the flame
Wild open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who would you rather be
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Oh seriously, you're gonna make mistakes,
You're young
Come on baby play me something like
Here comes the sun
Don't go
Stay with the all unknown
Stay away from the hooks
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
Get too close to the flame
Wild open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who would you rather be
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Oh seriously, you're gonna make mistakes,
You're young
Come on baby play me something like
Here comes the sun
Don't go
Stay with the all unknown
Stay away from the hooks
All the chances we took
We're so close to something
Better left unknown
I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
Lyrics submitted by dustybreeze
Gimme Sympathy Lyrics as written by James Shaw Emily Haines
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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Great version of a great song,
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This is just my opinion but I think this is about taking an optimistic approach to life and death.
When Emily says “Get hot, Get too close to the flame” I think she is talking about a person’s self destruction and how death is sometimes closer than we think. I think she is using this sentence similar to the familiar quote ‘a moth to flame’ The moth is always drawn to the flame because it’s so beautiful but it doesn’t know that it can hurt itself if it gets too close. We don’t always know how much we’re hurting ourselves.
“Wild open space Talk like an open book Sign me up Got no time to take a picture I'll remember someday All the chances we took” This portion of the song I’m not too sure, but maybe she means that our life is already mapped out. We don’t do anything different or anything to add substance. “All the chances we took” can mean that we wasted time- passed up all the chances we had to do something good or add substance to our lives.
When she says, “We're so close to something better left unknown” Again I think she means we’re so close to death. “I can feel it in my bones” Emphasizes on this point. “Gimme sympathy After all this is gone” does too.
“Who would you rather be The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” This speaks for itself. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones both influential artists and very important. I think she shows that there are two types of people in this world. :p The Beatles Fans and The Rolling Stones. These bands make people happy. So this displays the optimistic approach to death.
“Oh seriously You're gonna make mistakes you're young Come on baby play me something, Like here comes the sun” Here is where she takes the other optimistic approach in the song. We are going to make mistakes- we’re human. So no matter how much life sucks we just have to learn to move on and look at the bright side- the happier side. “Come on baby play me something like here comes the sun”
I think it just means take risks when your young<br /> like the beatles did<br /> the rolling stones didn't take as many risks as a young band, and the beatles are way more credited<br /> and here comes the sun is written by the beatles, and she's saying play here comes the sun<br /> :S <br /> <br /> i have no clue
i really like your theory, I like the whole negative and optimistic ideas<br /> your very insightful
Going along with what you said, I think for the whole,<br /> <br /> “Wild open space<br /> Talk like an open book"<br /> <br /> The world is open for them to see, to be a part of, they are writing the story of their life about all of this they can see and be a part of. Not literally writing it down, but by telling people though singing it.<br /> <br /> "Sign me up" <br /> <br /> Affirming the past statement.<br /> <br /> "Got no time to take a picture <br /> I'll remember someday<br /> All the chances we took”<br /> <br /> They'll remember all these things they've done, they don't need to take pictures to remind them. They'll remember the entirety of the things they have taken part in.<br /> <br /> As for “Who would you rather be, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” I think it's because the way they were. The Beatles were about love and life, being open, almost like a child. The Rolling Stones were more take life as it is, as it goes, like the wise man. They both have such strong standings and are both very influential because they're so basic to what life is, it's so easy to understand how to know what it's like to feel like both of them write, to live it out.<br /> <br /> I could go on and on, but on the other points on analyzing, I agree with you, I just wanted to add onto the idea.