"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.
I'm out of the forest, I'm out of the wilds
I'm out of the forest and into the light
I'm out of extinction and into the scene
I'm out of extinction and into the meaning
Where can I be?
Well, I'm so long sad
So long dead, so long beaten
But here I stand
Breathin' love as mean as this
Where can I be?
Sinkin' in the self and makin' it a bride
Preachin' in love and makin' it a liar
Makin' love is not what I said
Freaks a double meanin', meaning man
So long man
So long dead
So long man
So long dead
I'm sick and tired of what man has achieved
Sick in riches tryin' to make him be seen
My mind is double vacant, makin' me a liar
Stick it to your face and then make it alright
So long man, so long dead
So long beaten, here I stand
Breathin' love as mean as this
Breakin' love as cheap as this
Where can I be?
Thinking it's sad to be on my own
Makin' it back to become so old
Genocide likes walkin' home
Breathin' down to be on my own
A little sympathy is what you need
A little sympathy is what I fear
A little sympathy
So long dead
So long will time have caused a genocide
Makin' a sport from a man paralyzed
Breathin' love as mean as this
Breakin' love as cheap as this
So long man
So long dead
So long man
So long dead
I'm out of the forest and into the light
I'm out of extinction and into the scene
I'm out of extinction and into the meaning
Where can I be?
Well, I'm so long sad
So long dead, so long beaten
But here I stand
Breathin' love as mean as this
Where can I be?
Sinkin' in the self and makin' it a bride
Preachin' in love and makin' it a liar
Makin' love is not what I said
Freaks a double meanin', meaning man
So long man
So long dead
So long man
So long dead
I'm sick and tired of what man has achieved
Sick in riches tryin' to make him be seen
My mind is double vacant, makin' me a liar
Stick it to your face and then make it alright
So long man, so long dead
So long beaten, here I stand
Breathin' love as mean as this
Breakin' love as cheap as this
Where can I be?
Thinking it's sad to be on my own
Makin' it back to become so old
Genocide likes walkin' home
Breathin' down to be on my own
A little sympathy is what you need
A little sympathy is what I fear
A little sympathy
So long dead
So long will time have caused a genocide
Makin' a sport from a man paralyzed
Breathin' love as mean as this
Breakin' love as cheap as this
So long man
So long dead
So long man
So long dead
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
So Long Dead Lyrics as written by Mark Alan Cox Andrew Keith Gray
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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