"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.
Hey, man did you hear
Your final days are near?
A freefall of fire and ice
And explosions in the sky
A fate that we deserve
There's no escaping
No it's your turn
Now it's your turn
It's been years
Since our luck ran out and left us here
Like broken mirrors
Ten million shards of glass and tears
But now we are
Awake enough to show what we hear
Like broken mirrors
Reflections of an unfamiliar face
Hey, hey!
Hey, man, you got the time?
Hey, can I trouble you for a light
No, me? no, I'm not the old town cryer
I'm the one who sets it all on fire
A fate that we deserve
And there's no escaping
No, it's your turn
Now it's your turn
It's been years
Since our luck ran out and left us here
Like broken mirrors
Ten million shards of glass and tears
But now we are
Awake enough to show what we hear
Like broken mirrors
Reflections of an unfamiliar face
We hide from the mirrors
They might show our scars
And hear us
Reflection that we want to be
The people we are (the people we are)
Fight your reflection
Smash what you see
And let's restart
'Cause mirrors can't see our heart
It's been years
Since our luck ran out and left us here
Like broken mirrors
Ten million shards of glass and tears
But now we are
Awake enough to show what we hear
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Reflections of an unfamiliar face
Your final days are near?
A freefall of fire and ice
And explosions in the sky
A fate that we deserve
There's no escaping
No it's your turn
Now it's your turn
It's been years
Since our luck ran out and left us here
Like broken mirrors
Ten million shards of glass and tears
But now we are
Awake enough to show what we hear
Like broken mirrors
Reflections of an unfamiliar face
Hey, hey!
Hey, man, you got the time?
Hey, can I trouble you for a light
No, me? no, I'm not the old town cryer
I'm the one who sets it all on fire
A fate that we deserve
And there's no escaping
No, it's your turn
Now it's your turn
It's been years
Since our luck ran out and left us here
Like broken mirrors
Ten million shards of glass and tears
But now we are
Awake enough to show what we hear
Like broken mirrors
Reflections of an unfamiliar face
We hide from the mirrors
They might show our scars
And hear us
Reflection that we want to be
The people we are (the people we are)
Fight your reflection
Smash what you see
And let's restart
'Cause mirrors can't see our heart
It's been years
Since our luck ran out and left us here
Like broken mirrors
Ten million shards of glass and tears
But now we are
Awake enough to show what we hear
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Like broken mirrors
Reflections of an unfamiliar face
Lyrics submitted by WillCreary, edited by ShoutRyot, Tserra
Broken Mirrors Lyrics as written by Joseph Principe Brandon Barnes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
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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.
the verses are a warning of the imminent danger of societal collapse or overthrow; the kind that historically go unheeded until it's far too late (whoever he's responding to just considers him that old town cryer). this is what happens to every great society in history, i.e. "rome was destroyed, spain was destroyed..." but he also mentions in the chorus that though what we (humanity, specifically capitalist america) have become is an unfamiliar face, it isn't yet too late, and we can shatter this reflection of what we hate if conscious enough.
I doubt this is the actual meaning, but I think a lot of the song sounds like it's about the hatred and intolerance that so many parents in the world pass on to their kids.
Rise Against isn't as Anarchist as everyone seems to single them out to be. True they call for societal change and often criticize the American government, but many songs are more about people themselves, rather than the force which governs them.
This song, for example isn't about a revolution. It's about a man, late in his life, who is going through a mid-life crisis. For years, he's ignored what's going on around him as his "luck" or rather his youthful passion "ran out". With all the things that he simply lets happen, he can't even look at himself in the mirror anymore because he can't recognize the fight-for-nothing man he's become, and can't cope with the fact that he's going to die like that when he can still see reflections of the person he was before or wanted to be.
The narrator states that the mirrors, despite showing you what you look like, they can't see "our hearts", meaning that reflecting on your past may reflect who you were, but that doesn't have to be who you ARE right now. You are free to change yourself and restart whenever you choose, and you don't have to let your past define you.
does anyone else think that in the lines "it's been years since our luck ran out and left us here like broken mirrors ten million shards of glass and tears" that there is a reference to the crystalnacht incident in germany during WW II?
It seems like a very plausible and logical thing to correlate to, but I just do not feel that is what the song is about. If he was referring to the Holocaust you would think he would reference to it more.
I can swear I hear a telephone ringing at 1:14 behind the guitar. Does anyone else hear this??
I don't hear anything......eh, whatevs. Could just be my hearing.<br />
omg! i swore i was going crazy but you hear it too! ha-ha!
I so heard it to wonder if they ment it to be heard
frozenhobo basically said what I think :)
However, he/she has got songs mixed up. That "Rome was destroyed..." was from "survivor Guilt".
The "phone ringing" at 1:14 is actually the resonance from the cymbals, sorry guys.
More analysis necessary: OK! This song shows that we want to be someone else, but cant. Everyone thinks that they are a hero, and that they are doing the right things, but when they realize they aren't they see an "unfamiliar face".