"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.
Dream
A little dream
All about the basement scene
I don't want to wake up
I don't want to wake up
I don't want to wake up no
If you've seen
The light turn gold
Come out tonight
And we'll get stoned
I don't want to get old
I don't want to get old
I don't want to get old no
Dream
A little dream
About your friends
And their endings
Now I wanna wake up
I wanna wake up
I wanna wake up now
It could be the death of me
Knowing that my friends
Will not remember me
I don't wanna get old
I wanna get old
I wanna get old
In the bluffs they know my name
In the bluffs they know
In the bluffs they know my name
In the bluffs they know
In the bluffs they know my name
In the bluffs they know
In the bluffs they know my name
A little dream
All about the basement scene
I don't want to wake up
I don't want to wake up
I don't want to wake up no
If you've seen
The light turn gold
Come out tonight
And we'll get stoned
I don't want to get old
I don't want to get old
I don't want to get old no
Dream
A little dream
About your friends
And their endings
Now I wanna wake up
I wanna wake up
I wanna wake up now
It could be the death of me
Knowing that my friends
Will not remember me
I don't wanna get old
I wanna get old
I wanna get old
In the bluffs they know my name
In the bluffs they know
In the bluffs they know my name
In the bluffs they know
In the bluffs they know my name
In the bluffs they know
In the bluffs they know my name
Lyrics submitted by moonmaster
Basement Scene Lyrics as written by Bradford Cox
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Well I can add that I'm from Atlanta and "The Bluffs" is an area of town you go to buy smack and/or crack. Just sayin...
The title and lyrics give it away pretty clearly I think although I could be wrong. I think this is about the basement scene of house shows in Atlanta at the beginning stages of Deerhunter. Playing music before they knew success and thinking he didn't want it to end or to ever get old. The second verse could also be his fears for the futures and successes of his friends who were also a part of the same scene.
"It could be the death of me Knowing that my friends Will not remember me"
How could any one not remember Bradford?? Pretty melancholic song, aging is pretty depressing, cause once your youth is gone, it's gone. Scoring drugs can be equally depressing. Possibly my favorite off the song off the album, not moment, cause that's the last two minutes of HWHL.
I think this is about the main singers transition from belonging to the basement music scene and partying with friends to seeing his friends move on and get MDs (Medical Degrees, although I am aware of the drug connotation too). Now instead of wanting to be young forever he is ready to move on to the next stage of life.