"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.
He said to lose my life or lose my love
That's the nightmare I've been running from
So let me hold you in my arms a while
I was always careless as a child
And there's a part of me that still believes
My soul will soar above the trees
But a desperate fear flows through my blood
That a dead love's buried beneath the mud
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
I said I've got no time, I have to go
And I was more right than I will ever know
He said my heart is faded, well mine's regret
And left him crying next to the chapel steps
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
He said, let's grow old together and die at the same time
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
He said
He said to lose my life or lose my love
That's the nightmare I've been running from
So let me hold you in my arms a while (let's grow old together and die at the same time)
I was always careless as a child
There's a part of me that still believes (let's grow old together and die at the same time)
My soul will soar above the trees
A desperate fear flows through my blood (he said, let's grow old together and die at the same time)
A dead love's buried beneath the mud
A desperate fear flows through my blood (let's grow old together and die at the same time)
A dead love's buried beneath the mud
That's the nightmare I've been running from
So let me hold you in my arms a while
I was always careless as a child
And there's a part of me that still believes
My soul will soar above the trees
But a desperate fear flows through my blood
That a dead love's buried beneath the mud
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
I said I've got no time, I have to go
And I was more right than I will ever know
He said my heart is faded, well mine's regret
And left him crying next to the chapel steps
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
He said, let's grow old together and die at the same time
Let's grow old together and die at the same time
He said
He said to lose my life or lose my love
That's the nightmare I've been running from
So let me hold you in my arms a while (let's grow old together and die at the same time)
I was always careless as a child
There's a part of me that still believes (let's grow old together and die at the same time)
My soul will soar above the trees
A desperate fear flows through my blood (he said, let's grow old together and die at the same time)
A dead love's buried beneath the mud
A desperate fear flows through my blood (let's grow old together and die at the same time)
A dead love's buried beneath the mud
Lyrics submitted by screamingchoirs
To Lose My Life Lyrics as written by Harry Mcveigh Charles Cave
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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it's a song about that terrifying decision between who dies first - you or your life partner. the simple solution would be dying together, but it obviously doesn't work that way - so it's to lose your life or to lose your love. there's also underlying currents of 'does the soul exist?' in there too, particularly: 'and there's a part of me that still believes my soul will soar above the trees but a desperate fear flows through my blood a dead love's buried beneath the mud' which i think means that he hopes souls exist so they can meet together afterwards, but he's terrified it won't be like that. i'm really loving white lies, they're a nice break from all the new indie bands out there that just sound the same and sing about girls, girls, girls in an awfully unsubtle way. there's a touch of joy division about them, and from that, the editors. i really like them :)
i believe you said it right. A song about death at the end of the day.
When I heard it for the first time, I thought it said "Let's go all together and die at the same time".
A fan of Jim Jones, I see :)
well I think the meaning is pretty straightforward... Nutty explained it pretty well imo... I just want to point out something that appears not to have been noticed by anyone else... despite the fact that the two possibilities the song gives (to lose one's life or to lose one's love), the title of the song, and of the whole album, is TO LOSE MY LIFE... isn't it, in your opinions, some kind of hint left there to propose a solution to the dramatic choice? doesn't it make you think that, in the end, if you really love someone, you'd want him/her to live on even after you've gone?? to me, it does. that's just what I think. sayonara
"Let's grow old together, and die at the same time". Not depressing, he's just saying he wants this person forever.
I detect an irony in the chorus; "let's grow old together and die at the same time". This is a dark song, not a hopeful one. The chorus is lamenting or even mocking the idealistic notion that you and your lover will be together forever through thick and thin.
To me, the song is about love being incompatible with life. To love someone you have to be willing to compromise - in effect, lose a part of your 'life' (i.e. stop sleeping around, tame your behavior, not be so selfish and 'careless as a child' etc) - and if you can't do that then you will lose your 'love'. The immature part of you - aka the child, or the soul - wants to be free, want to fly 'above the trees' and not be tied to anything or any one love, be it a person or a profession or a hobby. Note the clever use of opposites: ABOVE the trees, BENEATH the mud. In order for you to be clean and selfish and carefree ('soul will soar above the trees') you have to sever your ties ('I said I have no time, I've got to go') and sacrifice your love ('our dead love's buried beneath the mud'), probably in a very messy way that will end in pain and heartbreak ('crying on the chapel steps'). And of course, this is emotional baggage that you'll be lugging around for the rest of your life ('well mine's regret').
Another interpretation of the second verse could be that the person whose heart - aka love - has 'faded' is another negligent lover; again reinforcing the notion of incomopatibility between two people. He can't be bothered to keep the flame of love alive, and his lover (I think the chapel is an allegory, basically saying the couple split up at the 11th hour) regrets that (s)he is equally incapable, so they go their separate way. -OR- yet another interpretation could be that it's two sides of the same person, trying to figure out and rationalize why they cannot commit.
I only discovered White Lies recently and I absolutely love them. The lyrics seem to have real substance and depth rather than simply being obtuse for obtuse's sake, but you do have to dig deep to figure them out. Makes you ponder the nature of humanity, really.
It's 'lets grow old together' not home
really great song
very good band
"let's grow old together and die at the same time"
such depressing lyrics.
Catchy song with a dark angle. just curious is he gay? because in the song there is a lot of 'he said' ... and seeing that its kind of a love song... hmmm
Sounds like a fag song to me, yep.
I think he's in love with someone, he's not suppose to be with. So he has the choice of living with out her, or dying. So them being so in love, hold each other for a while. Then commit suicide together. So they die together, in love, instead of living without each other.
That's just my opinion, don't know if that's what they were going for. But that's what i got, and i love this song.