"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.
Tonight I find it hard to sleep
Each sound and squeak I hear
Keeps me staring at the ceiling
Oh it's dark as night outside
And I can't stand
The quiet that it brings me
And I've got too much on my mind
I think it's time to take a drive
And leave it all behind
I've got a song that's halfway there
I think it needs the ocean air
I'm gonna grab my guitar
And get in my car
Oh, I need some understanding
I need a little love
Gonna speed down to the Oceanside
In a race with the stars above
With my guitar in hand
And toes touching the sand
I can see the sun is coming in
Colors fill and crack the sky
With purple, silver, and golden light
Drawing the day from night
On the shoreline a fisherman
With bait on his line and a rod in his hand
Is ready to greet the day
He turns around to notice me
And the two of us are patiently
Waiting for the sun's rays
Oh, I just need some understanding
And a little love
And somehow I am thinking now
I can get what i've been dreaming of
But this fisherman is closing in
I think he could be crazy
He says:
"Would you ride with me?"
"Oh, I could use the company"
"I've got a fish to catch and you have got a song to sing"
His eyes were anchors as the boat would sway
What would you like to say?
You have my attention
I see you came out here to write your song
But you don't have too long
So show me what you're workin' with
I'd like to give you just a little somethin'
And you may think it's nothing on first listen
In the time it takes for you to make love
You can break love
Waste love
And throw it all away
But all you need is faith
And hope will bring a brighter day
And every time that you love
Let it lift someone else up
If someone tries to burn you
Give him your hand and turn and pick him up
When he's all alone
Now if you find yourself getting frustrated
Try not to get too jaded or
You could go insane, like me
I tell you man you must be crazy
Or am I always lazy when it comes to love?
With every failure and turning tide
I toss the boomerang
But Ah, it never comes back to me
Have some faith you say
And hope will find its way?
Well I doubt what you're sure of
When it seems to me the greatest of these is love
But it's so hard to love
Well, we were sitting on his boat
Our backs to each other
He was giving me a little time
And all that he said
Was hurting my head
Wonderin' how to leave the selfishness behind
All that I could say is
"it's so hard to love... the way that you want me to"
I stepped off the boat and thanked the man
Not sure what I was thankful for
When I turned back around to see him again
He was already gone
Walking back from the water to my guitar
That's when the light came on
I knew what he was talking 'bout
I know how to finish my song
Oh, I just need some understanding,
I need a little love
And I want to sing my song to somebody who doubts what they're made of
Oh, we all need some understanding
We all need love!
We all need love!
Each sound and squeak I hear
Keeps me staring at the ceiling
Oh it's dark as night outside
And I can't stand
The quiet that it brings me
And I've got too much on my mind
I think it's time to take a drive
And leave it all behind
I've got a song that's halfway there
I think it needs the ocean air
I'm gonna grab my guitar
And get in my car
Oh, I need some understanding
I need a little love
Gonna speed down to the Oceanside
In a race with the stars above
With my guitar in hand
And toes touching the sand
I can see the sun is coming in
Colors fill and crack the sky
With purple, silver, and golden light
Drawing the day from night
On the shoreline a fisherman
With bait on his line and a rod in his hand
Is ready to greet the day
He turns around to notice me
And the two of us are patiently
Waiting for the sun's rays
Oh, I just need some understanding
And a little love
And somehow I am thinking now
I can get what i've been dreaming of
But this fisherman is closing in
I think he could be crazy
He says:
"Would you ride with me?"
"Oh, I could use the company"
"I've got a fish to catch and you have got a song to sing"
His eyes were anchors as the boat would sway
What would you like to say?
You have my attention
I see you came out here to write your song
But you don't have too long
So show me what you're workin' with
I'd like to give you just a little somethin'
And you may think it's nothing on first listen
In the time it takes for you to make love
You can break love
Waste love
And throw it all away
But all you need is faith
And hope will bring a brighter day
And every time that you love
Let it lift someone else up
If someone tries to burn you
Give him your hand and turn and pick him up
When he's all alone
Now if you find yourself getting frustrated
Try not to get too jaded or
You could go insane, like me
I tell you man you must be crazy
Or am I always lazy when it comes to love?
With every failure and turning tide
I toss the boomerang
But Ah, it never comes back to me
Have some faith you say
And hope will find its way?
Well I doubt what you're sure of
When it seems to me the greatest of these is love
But it's so hard to love
Well, we were sitting on his boat
Our backs to each other
He was giving me a little time
And all that he said
Was hurting my head
Wonderin' how to leave the selfishness behind
All that I could say is
"it's so hard to love... the way that you want me to"
I stepped off the boat and thanked the man
Not sure what I was thankful for
When I turned back around to see him again
He was already gone
Walking back from the water to my guitar
That's when the light came on
I knew what he was talking 'bout
I know how to finish my song
Oh, I just need some understanding,
I need a little love
And I want to sing my song to somebody who doubts what they're made of
Oh, we all need some understanding
We all need love!
We all need love!
Lyrics submitted by tennisplyr3515
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Great version of a great song,
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This song is Mae's equivilent to Relient K's "deathbed" :)
amazing!
.... wth.<br /> I got done listening to this song. <br /> then later on I was looking for this page lyrics.<br /> Just as soon as I read your comment, <br /> Deathbed started playing. lmao.<br /> Wow.<br /> Hm.<br /> Still don't know why.<br /> I don't think it's equivilent to deathbed.<br /> I mean it's for the guy on the death bed.<br /> but death bed isn't about showing love as it<br /> It's about recieving it. :)<br /> <br /> I love both of these songs.<br /> I love the "Fisherman."
i think r1ngo meant that the scale of this song is much like "deathbed." over eight minutes long, tells a story, etc. not the content so much as the concept is similar.<br /> <br /> anyway, i was so impressed by this song and the rest of the album. reminded me of the first time i ever listened to TheEverglow and how much the entire album (in this case, the entire EP) resonated with me.<br /> don't get me wrong, i did enjoy singularity, because it was mae. but it definitely pales in comparison to the everglow, and (m)orning.