"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.
Along the fragile edge of darkness
Down to chaos seething below
Rise in the grace of moonlight
The stranger came in the night
I've been waiting for so long now...
Hungry as the sea
Turbulent as the storm
Deepest eyes of mystery shine
A guiding light sent for me
I've been a trader of so much pain
Now a harvester of life
All are born as barren souls
To a life free of all sins
A place where evil awaits for those
The labyrinth of years must go
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
As fragile as roses you'll grow
I've been lower than so called Hell
Been used, and I've been scorned
I used to count myself as one
Into million stars I've become
I've been a trader of so much pain
Now a harvester of life
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
So fragile...
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
As fragile as roses you'll grow
Your shhip can never sail
Without a proper wind in its sails
This wind you now will feel
Coming strong
And it will never leave you
Abandoned ashore
As long as my name remains
There will always be a safe port of call
There will always be a safe port of call
All are born as barren souls
To a life free of all sins
A place where evil awaits for those
The labyrinth of years must go
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
So fragile...
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
As fragile as roses you'll grow
You'll grow...
I've been a trader of so much pain
I've been waiting for so long now
I've been a trader of so much pain
Now a harvester of life
Down to chaos seething below
Rise in the grace of moonlight
The stranger came in the night
I've been waiting for so long now...
Hungry as the sea
Turbulent as the storm
Deepest eyes of mystery shine
A guiding light sent for me
I've been a trader of so much pain
Now a harvester of life
All are born as barren souls
To a life free of all sins
A place where evil awaits for those
The labyrinth of years must go
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
As fragile as roses you'll grow
I've been lower than so called Hell
Been used, and I've been scorned
I used to count myself as one
Into million stars I've become
I've been a trader of so much pain
Now a harvester of life
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
So fragile...
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
As fragile as roses you'll grow
Your shhip can never sail
Without a proper wind in its sails
This wind you now will feel
Coming strong
And it will never leave you
Abandoned ashore
As long as my name remains
There will always be a safe port of call
There will always be a safe port of call
All are born as barren souls
To a life free of all sins
A place where evil awaits for those
The labyrinth of years must go
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
So fragile...
Time has come to cleanse the soul
Our home far behind the sun
A place to plant the eternal seed
As fragile as roses you'll grow
You'll grow...
I've been a trader of so much pain
I've been waiting for so long now
I've been a trader of so much pain
Now a harvester of life
Lyrics submitted by Frances-The-Tool
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Fast Car
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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."
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Great version of a great song,
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