"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.
"Will you walk a little faster?"
Said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us,
And he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters
And the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle -
Will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, won't you join the dance?
"You can really have notion
How delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us,
With the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied, "Too far, too far!"
And gave a look askance
Said he thanked the whiting kindly,
But he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, could not join the dance.
"What matters it how far we go?"
His scaly friend replied,
"There is another shore, you know,
Upon the other side.
The further off from England
The nearer is to France -
Then turn not pale, beloved snail,
But come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, won't you join the dance?
Said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us,
And he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters
And the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle -
Will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, won't you join the dance?
"You can really have notion
How delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us,
With the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied, "Too far, too far!"
And gave a look askance
Said he thanked the whiting kindly,
But he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not,
Could not, could not join the dance.
"What matters it how far we go?"
His scaly friend replied,
"There is another shore, you know,
Upon the other side.
The further off from England
The nearer is to France -
Then turn not pale, beloved snail,
But come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you,
Won't you, won't you join the dance?
Lyrics submitted by thrwmyhrtawy.
The Lobster Quadrille Lyrics as written by Nicholas John Mccarthy Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
no comments? :o i like this song. beautiful. ^^ i believe there are some mistakes in these lyrics with all those "will you, won't you, won't you, will you" etc...
huh. I'm listening to almost alice, and so far this is the best song on the thing. It's quite awesome.
This song is great. While it was simply made from a poem that was in either the book Alice in Wonderland or Through The Looking Glass (I believe it was through the looking glass but I can't remember which off the top of my head) and it was put together for the movie Alice in Wonderland, Franz Ferdinand really succeeded in adding an entrancing sort of "mad" instrumental sense and tone to it yet making it their own. It fits in extremely well with the movie and books.
Anyway, to explain the lyrics/poem: This to me is such a fun creative way to explain and poke fun at normalcy and corporations. Perhaps this isn't supposed to be interpretable but to let me explain verse by verse,
"Will you walk a little faster?" Said a whiting to a snail There's a porpoise close behind us And he's treading on my tail. ^^^^^^^^^^^ This first verse represents the snail as a regular dreamy person of sorts. A whiting is a small fish in the atlantic. To me the idea of the Porpoise on the tail of the Whiting shows the sort of food chain of porpoise eating the whiting eating the snail. The porpoise is on the whitings case about something and the whiting is now angry or questioning the snail. The Whiting is sort of showing this corporate world in a seductive way and making work seem enticing. He is asking the whiting to "join the dance" surrender dreams come to the corporate world welcome to reality sort of thing.
See how eagerly the lobsters And the turtles all advance. They are waiting on the shingle. Will you come and join the dance. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It is like the Whiting is saying see how everyone else is conforming. Come join the dance. Dances at the time this was written were all perfectly choreographed also so everyone would have been doing the same uniform thing.
Will you, won't you, Will you, won't you, Will you, won't you, join the dance?
Will you, won't you, Will you, won't you, Won't you, will you, join the dance?
"You can really have no notion How delightful it will be When they take us up and throw us, With the lobsters, out to sea!" But the snail replied, "Too far, too far!" And gave a look askance - Said he thanked the whiting kindly, But he would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, Could not, would not join the dance. Would not, could not, would not, Could not, could not join the dance.
^^^^^^^^^^^^ The beginning is mockery of how the higher up people treat everyone else like scum. He sarcastically explains how it will be great when they are tossed aside and taken advantage of. His look of askance shows he is suspicious of this offer the whiting is giving him. He refuses to conform.
"What matters it how far we go?" His scaly friend replied, "There is another shore, you know, Upon the other side.
The further off from England The nearer is to France - Then turn not pale, beloved snail, But come and join the dance.
^^^^^^^^^^ THese two verses suggest that becoming part of reality is inevitable. He cannot avoid it. Even if he went somewhere else he would have to change. It ends on a sinister and macabre almost note in his voice showing a sort of "haha you're stuck"
Will you, won't you, will you, Won't you, will you join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, Won't you, won't you join the dance?
This is just what I get from it.
I am madly in love with this song(: i love how deep his voice is :D
it reminds me a lot of the original Alice story, as kind of a cross between the race toward the beginning, and the story of the Walrus and Carpenter later.
For years I've assumed this is about the semantics about war between England and France. About how to people less able to fight (IE snails and fish, both legless) are being pressured by those bigger (ie the porpoise) to do the same as the able bodied lobsters and the turtles.
Will you/won't you/will you/won't you sounds like they're pressuring and questioning then motive not to join and fight- analyzing the semantics not to partake.
Too far too far, is not about how he is trapped, but about how close the war is to them, and he should help.
That's my view.