Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
'Cause I lost my job two weeks before Christmas
And I talked to Jesus at The Sewer
And the Pope said it was none of his God-damned business
While the rain drank champagne
My Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted
'Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted
Oh, but they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald
Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed
'Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumors
But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners
And I make sixteen solid half hour friendships every evening
'Cause your queen of hearts who's half a stone
And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving
Oh, but they play those token games on Willy Thompson
And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson
'Cause they told me everybody's gotta pay their dues
And I explained that I had overpaid them
So overdued I went to the company store
And the clerk there said that they had just been invaded
So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill
'Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still
'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun
In weekends of whiskey sours
'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book
And plant flowers?
And I talked to Jesus at The Sewer
And the Pope said it was none of his God-damned business
While the rain drank champagne
My Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted
'Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted
Oh, but they'll take their bonus pay to Molly McDonald
Neon ladies, beauty is that which obeys, is bought or borrowed
'Cause my heart's become a crooked hotel full of rumors
But it's I who pays the rent for these fingered-face out-of-tuners
And I make sixteen solid half hour friendships every evening
'Cause your queen of hearts who's half a stone
And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving
Oh, but they play those token games on Willy Thompson
And give a medal to replace the son of Mrs. Annie Johnson
'Cause they told me everybody's gotta pay their dues
And I explained that I had overpaid them
So overdued I went to the company store
And the clerk there said that they had just been invaded
So I set sail in a teardrop and escaped beneath the doorsill
'Cause the smell of her perfume echoes in my head still
'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun
In weekends of whiskey sours
'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book
And plant flowers?
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Fast Car
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"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.
The song makes me think of the situation where you realize, that life in many ways is pointless and hard to complete. I imagine a man sitting in the rain/wandering the streets and looking at drunk, tired and poor people meanwhile he's trying to figure out what he's got out of life, what he misses and the unfairness that surrounds him.
'Cause I see my people trying to drown the sun In weekends of whiskey sours 'Cause how many times can you wake up in this comic book and plant flowers?
Great closing to this awesome song...
When people get some down time off the carousel , many try to drown out sadness and disappointments in life and in doing so, numb out what's good as well. Life can often be surreal and sometimes a sick joke. How many times can optimism endure as you shake off the bad stuff and move on?