"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.
Oh! Oliver Boy what did you do?
But crush the hand you never shook
Then rob the rights of people to be free
Oh! Oliver Boy it's a terrible state
You left behind a worse off race
Where dignity and pride fought for their place
Oh! Oliver Boy now you are gone
And we're still here where we belong
Forgiveness being our strength you'll never see
Now the sun shines on this page I write
Though it's raining hard in Palestine
No lands are promised lands
When will we see?
So don't tell me that your God's my God
I don't think they even care at all
Just a pantomime behind a curtain lies deceit
Oh listen to me bark out loud
Without a voice and little growl
Snapping at the heels I wait
For something more to change
The more they stay the same
Oliver Boy! It's the same militia
Oliver Boy! Just the clothes are different
Oliver Boy! It's the same old story
Where there's blood there's death not glory
Look into these empty eyes
Fed upon by parasites
As beauty's ugly head devours its plight
While the borders of our hate create
Nothing more than each our fate
Trapped between our comfort and our crime
So stand along the graveyard wall
And watch the souls perform their song
Sing to us the dead above
As the mourners come to pray
The living stay away
Oliver Boy! It's the same militia
Oliver Boy! Just the clothes are different
Oliver Boy! It's the same old story
Where there's blood there's death not glory
Oliver Boy! We're all someone's sons
All of our Boys! Just put down their guns
Oliver Boy! You're dead but listen
You were wrong but we're no different
Marching to the left, everyone in step
Don't ask the question, why we're here with no direction
Marching to the right, this is not our fight
The curse of friction, born of man and contradiction
Oliver Boy! It's the same militia
Oliver Boy! Just the clothes are different
Oliver Boy! It's the same old story
Where there's blood there's death not glory
Oliver Boy! We're all someone's sons
All of our Boys! Just put down the guns
Oliver Boy! You're dead but listen
You were wrong but we're no different
All of our boys!
Now the sun shines on this page I write
Though it's raining hard in Palestine
But crush the hand you never shook
Then rob the rights of people to be free
Oh! Oliver Boy it's a terrible state
You left behind a worse off race
Where dignity and pride fought for their place
Oh! Oliver Boy now you are gone
And we're still here where we belong
Forgiveness being our strength you'll never see
Now the sun shines on this page I write
Though it's raining hard in Palestine
No lands are promised lands
When will we see?
So don't tell me that your God's my God
I don't think they even care at all
Just a pantomime behind a curtain lies deceit
Oh listen to me bark out loud
Without a voice and little growl
Snapping at the heels I wait
For something more to change
The more they stay the same
Oliver Boy! It's the same militia
Oliver Boy! Just the clothes are different
Oliver Boy! It's the same old story
Where there's blood there's death not glory
Look into these empty eyes
Fed upon by parasites
As beauty's ugly head devours its plight
While the borders of our hate create
Nothing more than each our fate
Trapped between our comfort and our crime
So stand along the graveyard wall
And watch the souls perform their song
Sing to us the dead above
As the mourners come to pray
The living stay away
Oliver Boy! It's the same militia
Oliver Boy! Just the clothes are different
Oliver Boy! It's the same old story
Where there's blood there's death not glory
Oliver Boy! We're all someone's sons
All of our Boys! Just put down their guns
Oliver Boy! You're dead but listen
You were wrong but we're no different
Marching to the left, everyone in step
Don't ask the question, why we're here with no direction
Marching to the right, this is not our fight
The curse of friction, born of man and contradiction
Oliver Boy! It's the same militia
Oliver Boy! Just the clothes are different
Oliver Boy! It's the same old story
Where there's blood there's death not glory
Oliver Boy! We're all someone's sons
All of our Boys! Just put down the guns
Oliver Boy! You're dead but listen
You were wrong but we're no different
All of our boys!
Now the sun shines on this page I write
Though it's raining hard in Palestine
Lyrics submitted by Ghnaghnolai
Oliver Boy (All of Our Boys) Lyrics as written by David R King Bridget A Regan
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is most likely referencing Oliver Cromwell, a military leader in the mid 1600s who succeeded in dethroning the King of England and then waged war against those who were still loyal to the crown as well as those who had allied with them, namely Irish Catholics. He led a particularly brutal campaign through most of Ireland in an effort to wipe out both the Royalists and Catholics, whom he saw as a threat to the newly founded Commonwealth of England and Protestantism, respectively. After he returned to England and his successors secured the rest of Ireland, the practice of Catholicism was banned and any Catholic priests were killed. There's also some debate as to whether or not the Commonwealth began a program of ethnic cleansing after the campaign, as historical records show evidence that there was a large amount of Catholic landowners who lost their property, which coincided with a massive drop in population. As you can imagine, Irish Catholics hate this dude with a passion.
The lyrics suggest the focus of this song is on the loss of life for the Irish forces, who were militiamen. "As beauty's ugly head devours it's plight" is an indictment of Cromwell, justifying his massacre of the Irish militiamen (and arguably many civilians) by claiming it was divine mandate, all done in the name of God to further Protestantism. That something that is supposed to be so glorious and "beautiful" could benefit from a military leader committing genocide, murdering any possible opposition that would stand against him (preventing the "plight" of his forces). "While the borders of our hate create/Nothing more than each our fate" describes two opposing sides who are so caught up with and unwilling to let go of their hatred of each other that they ensure their mutual destruction. "Trapped between our comfort and our crime" seems to describe the fact that the Catholics and Royalists were oppressed simply because of their Religion or political affiliation, respectively. Living their lives normally- or "comfortably"- was a crime in the eyes of Cromwell and the Commonwealth of England.
Personally, I find this song kind of relevant to the current political atmosphere in America. The two dominant political parties are severely ideologically divided (arguably the most they've ever been since the civil war), and their attitudes are becoming more and more heated as time goes on. This song serves as both an allegory for the divide, and a warning against the how severe ideological differences can become.
At least that's what I think :)
I think you’re half right. I think he is indeed referencing Oliver Cromwell but I think he’s more drawing a comparison between then and now:-
“Oliver boy! It’s the same militia Oliver boy! Just the clothes are different. Oliver boy! It’s the same old story Where there’s blood there’s death not glory”
Simply put, we haven’t changed much I the 500+ years since Cromwell. Just the clothes are different.