"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.
Far away from any road
Froze my heart in solitude
Where your passerby can see
Our life's highway guard within
Knowing when our last does fail
Thy compassion shall prevail
Father with thee, let me be
On life's highway, God with thee
We need vices
We need vices
Where's all my hope and my marriage license? (Where's my hay?)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
We need vices at fifteen thousand degrees
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground
And jumped
Our good Creator (oh no)
The dog in the manger
Where is my shrink and my mind's eraser? (we sing a sad song)
That forest burned (do you see smoke?)
That forest burned (a halo)
That forest burned
We need ten years on rewind so we can return
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground
And jumped
We need vices
We need vices
We have neither the plans nor disguises
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
We need vices and wheels to the funeral gate
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground
And jumped
Froze my heart in solitude
Where your passerby can see
Our life's highway guard within
Knowing when our last does fail
Thy compassion shall prevail
Father with thee, let me be
On life's highway, God with thee
We need vices
We need vices
Where's all my hope and my marriage license? (Where's my hay?)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
We need vices at fifteen thousand degrees
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground
And jumped
Our good Creator (oh no)
The dog in the manger
Where is my shrink and my mind's eraser? (we sing a sad song)
That forest burned (do you see smoke?)
That forest burned (a halo)
That forest burned
We need ten years on rewind so we can return
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground
And jumped
We need vices
We need vices
We have neither the plans nor disguises
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
Those days are dead (forgive me)
We need vices and wheels to the funeral gate
She said goodbye to the ground she said goodbye to the ground
She said goodbye to the ground
And jumped
Lyrics submitted by midkay, edited by robthomson
Vices Lyrics as written by Jesse Lacey
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Pretty sure these are spot on. Google the 'Dog in the Manger Fable', really sheds a lot of light on the meaning of this song. Also neatly links in the "fifteen patons of bread" and the "where's my hay" part.
We need vices We need vices Where's all my hope and my marriage license? (Where's my hay?)
Those days are dead (forgive me) Those days are dead (forgive me) Those days are dead (forgive me) We need vices and fifteen patons of bread
She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground And jumped
Our good Creator (oh no) The dog in the manger Where is my shrink and my mind's eraser? (we sing a sad song)
That forest burned (do you see smoke?) That forest burned (a halo) That forest burned We need ten years on rewind so we can return
She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground And jumped
We need vices We need vices We've been needing to brandish our disguises
Those days are dead (forgive me) Those days are dead (forgive me) Those days are dead (forgive me) We need vices and wheels to the funeral gate
She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground She said goodbye to the ground And jumped
Interesting insight. I don't see the patons of bread link in the original story of the dog and the manger, but it sounds way more like that than "fifteen thousand degrees".<br /> It also sounds to me like he says "we need choices, we need vices" the second time he sings it (after the guitar break)