"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.
Little bird have you got a key?
Unlock the lock inside of me
Where will you go?
Keep yourself afloat
Feeling old until the wings unfolded
Caught me a long wind
Where will we go?
Keep ourselves afloat
I caught a long wind
A long life wind
I got to know the sky
But it didn't know me
Got to see the light
And land on top of the sea
And be the bird, be the key
And now the current tells
What the wave withheld
And then the lightning say
Oh where the light the will lie?
Where will you go?
Keep yourself afloat
I caught a long wind
A long life wind
Like a swallow
A night owl
A little chickadee
Sad sparrow
Good morning bird
Good nightingale
I took a deep breath
And caught a long wind
Unlock the lock inside of me
Where will you go?
Keep yourself afloat
Feeling old until the wings unfolded
Caught me a long wind
Where will we go?
Keep ourselves afloat
I caught a long wind
A long life wind
I got to know the sky
But it didn't know me
Got to see the light
And land on top of the sea
And be the bird, be the key
And now the current tells
What the wave withheld
And then the lightning say
Oh where the light the will lie?
Where will you go?
Keep yourself afloat
I caught a long wind
A long life wind
Like a swallow
A night owl
A little chickadee
Sad sparrow
Good morning bird
Good nightingale
I took a deep breath
And caught a long wind
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Fast Car
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Little bird, have you got a key Unlock the lock, inside of me.
Someone who is locked inside is unable to live for fearing that the life is too dangerous or not fair.
Where will you go, keep yourself a float, Feeling old, until the wings unfolded Caught me a long wind Where will we go? Keep ourselves afloat
Birds are always related to freedom, detachment. According to this, we might think that the 'character' in the song is someone who aims to be free and needs a model to compare oneself to and to follow the same steps. Then, nothing better than a bird, which keeps itself always afloat, that is, always ready to thread other paths (to fly through new winds). The sense of being old is for being locked to life. As soon as the person feels the need to live life fully, it is as if one spread the wings to a flight (to life).
Caught a long wind A long life wind
Here the metaphor is pretty clear (at least to what I think and what I said before).
I got to know the sky But it didn't know me
Once, the “character” was locked to life and feeling old. Now it wants to know better about living, about the world (sky), which didn’t the character exactly because it didn’t show itself to the world.
Got to see the light And land on top of the sea And be the bird, be the key And now the current tells What the wave withheld And then the lightning say Where the light will lay
Nothing much to say about this, except that now, as the person (character) has discovered how great life can be, he/she feels like taking advantage as much as possible of it.
Where will you go? Keep yourself afloat.
Caught a long wind A long life wind Like a swallow A night owl A little chickadee Sad sparrow Good morning bird Good nightingale
Now some poetical elements, comparing the birds of different species that live differently. But it’s nice to notice the word play in “good morning bird” and “good nightingale” — the “night” of “nightingale” serving as a greeting of farewell as well as it makes part of the bird species name.
I took a deep breath And caught a long wind
It takes courage and a deep breath to really start living a life when you’re aware of it.
currently my favourite from the new album!
She is Truly the undisputed Queen if Indie! All her lyrics are included with her CD “Metals”. I love the whole album, and strongly suggest you buy her new CD. It’s dirt cheap at “Arts And Crafts” and they don’t ever gouge you with the shipping!!!! arts-crafts.ca
The strings in this song are divine.
This song is magnificence at it's finest. Her voice is so, flawless.The way she says the words is effortless.Especially "Where will you go, keep yourself afloat...."
Absolutely beautiful song. Sublime. Timeless. I've also added correct lyrics.
The overall message in this I believe is don't question yourself, believe in who you are, and go with your instincts. Here are my thoughts, I will use a bird as the first person as it ties in nicely with the lyrics.
Little bird Have you got a key? Unlock the lock Inside of me Where will you go To keep yourself afloat?
Feeling old Until the wing Unfolded Caught me a long wind Where will we go To keep ourselves afloat?
Para-1 The opening scene to this story begins with an insecure bird, feeling trapped and unsure of herself and the world. She meets a little bird and asks them if they are able to help set her free. Assume the lock is unlocked the moment she has asked for it to be. Simply being freed does not make her free at all, she is still insecure and seeks a role model in the little bird; she wants to know their path in life, how they can survive.
Para-2 Being trapped in her own cage so long, the bird feels as though she has let life escape her, until she dared to spread her wing and catch the wind. The direction of the wind is unpredictable, and the use of her wings to go in an undetermined direction represents her doing new things she has never done before. Still, the bird remains unsure of herself and so she stays by the little bird's side and looks to them for the guidance, or perhaps reassurance. "Where will we go..."
I caught a long wind A long life wind
Hook The wind breathed life into her existence - it gave her life. The wind in my opinion represents instinct and impulse; to go with your heart, something that requires courage, confidence and self-assertiveness - something the bird was missing. So from the end of Para-2 to the Hook the story unfolds that she has gained these things; she has found "herself". If we gather these are the things the little bird has taught the bird, we can assume, then, that its disappearance from the story is because it has followed its own path once more, with the knowledge the bird will be ok.
I got to know the sky But it didn't know me I got to see the land And land on top of the sea And be the bird and be the key And the current tells What the wave withheld And the lightning sang Of where the light would land Where will you go To keep yourself afloat?
I caught a long wind A long life wind
Para-3 + Hook And so the bird goes out with a sense of reassurement and experiences everything she can. The saying "the sky's the limit" comes to mind; she dared to dream, and dared to pursue her dreams and in so doing "got to know the sky". She saw the land - and land on top of the sea; demonstrates she travelled far and wide, even to small pieces of land in the middle of the sea. She got to be "the [little] bird" and be "the key"; she was able to free others from their little cages and set them free, and show them what it is to live!
A wave is a repetitive motion, with no place to go, its routine - her previous life - yet now she goes with the current, which has a known path and a set direction. The symbolism in the lightening I believe represents the bird having become a powerful and instinctual force in herself, and she determines where the light will land. I believe the crossover between the metaphor of a bird to elements (lightening) is to demonstrate a level of respect. We can all be liked, but there are some people in life who we unhesitantly show deep respect for, much the way we do for the powerful elements in the world. It's a metaphor to demonstrate how much she's grown.
Yet still the bird returns to those small questions of insecurity we can all face in life. This time, however, she knows the answer and so takes flight once more and follows her heart and her instincts and navigates the wind.
Like a swallow A night owl A little chickadee Sad sparrow Good morning bird Good nightingale I took a deep breath And caught a long wind
The bird ends her story in a beautiful way, by telling that her existence is no different to anyone elses, all birds/people are the same, we are all capable. How? "[Take] a deep breath", trust your instincts, follow your heart, and pursue your dreams, go wherever the wind takes you.