"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.
He bought a sterilized hypo
To shoot a sex machine drug
He got 24 hours
To shoot all Paulene's between the legs he'll throw
96 tears through 24 hours
Sexed once every hour
Johny hit and run Paulene
L.a. bus doors open
Kicking both doors open
When it rested on 6th street
That's when he drug a girl inside
He was spreading her legs and didn't understand dying
She was still awake
Johny hit and run Paulene
When he was waking up
Beside the bed
He found clumps of hair
The last Paulene wouldn't cooperate
She wasn't what you'd call living really
But she was still awake
Johny hit and run Paulene
To shoot a sex machine drug
He got 24 hours
To shoot all Paulene's between the legs he'll throw
96 tears through 24 hours
Sexed once every hour
Johny hit and run Paulene
L.a. bus doors open
Kicking both doors open
When it rested on 6th street
That's when he drug a girl inside
He was spreading her legs and didn't understand dying
She was still awake
Johny hit and run Paulene
When he was waking up
Beside the bed
He found clumps of hair
The last Paulene wouldn't cooperate
She wasn't what you'd call living really
But she was still awake
Johny hit and run Paulene
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Johny Hit And Run Paulene Lyrics as written by John Doe Exene Cervenka
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Mountain Song
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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.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"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."
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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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Pretty brutal, disturbing lyrics. It tells the story of "date rape" and knockout drugs like GHB. The main character, Johnny, is obviously a hideously amoral person who first knocks out his victims. Names don't matter, personalities don't matter, souls don't matter. They're just "sex machine" bodies to him. They might as well all be named Paulene, for all Johnny cares. When the last "Paulene" doesn't cooperate (she evidently stays awake and probably resists), he takes violent action against her, ripping out hair and probably doing worse to her, because Paulene is left in either a drugged, zombie-like stupor (not quite living, not quite dead), or she is in a coma. Brutal story. Should be enough to shock any listener into understanding, and being disgusted by, the realities of "date rape" drugs.
yep... it's an anti-rape song.
this song is about rape "he found clumps of hair the last paulene wouldn't cooperate"
Its more complicated than rape its more about a drug manufactured that allows this man to have sex once every hour but instead of just being able to he needs to and so it leads to rape and murder. This was before viagra was invented mind you.
Obviosly about rape, but I'm not sure how much deeper it goes. Anyway, it's a good song. It's a weird song to use that Johnny B. Goode riff in though..
this song is not about ghb or date rape drugs. in "decline of western civilization" john doe talks about how it stemmed from a conversation between he and exene about a fictional drug that would allow men to have sex every hour for 24 hours. the rest of the song is obviously about rape to satisfy this ability/need.
A guy named Johny buys a drug that allows males to have sex every hour for 24 hours. Johny goes on a rampage across LA, raping women. When the drug wears off, Johny wakes up to discover a girl that he brutalized next to him in a coma. Johny thinks so little of women that he refers to all women as 'Pauline'. John Doe came up with the idea of the drug...
@thegitsfan What’s interesting is, most young men (I’m assuming Johnny is aged something like 18-25) don’t NEED any help having sex “once every hour”). I didn’t, anyway, and I’ve heard talk my whole life that leads me to believe I was not alone!. In fact i remember it being as much of a hassle as enjoyable ????
@thegitsfan What’s interesting is, most young men (I’m assuming Johnny is aged something like 18-25) don’t NEED any help having sex “once every hour”). I didn’t, anyway, and I’ve heard talk my whole life that leads me to believe I was not alone!. In fact i remember it being as much of a hassle as enjoyable ????
he plans the rape he will inject her and i think she was end up in a coma
it's certainly a song about rape and the use of drugs.
I remember reading in some review or other that this song was "vaugley disturbing". I don't see anything vauge about it, it is disturbing. But really, one my fav X songs. Agree with the above about being anti-rape, and the drug connection.