"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 always thought, I always thought, that there was something different, setting us apart
That I was led, that I was led by men with sober minds and sympathetic hearts
I swore an oath, swore an oath, but never knew just what it was to take a life
To play at God, play at God across such distances and from so great a height
But I am never sure who I am killing
How many innocents were in the building?
I drop death out of the
No longer human beings, no longer people
Just targets on a screen, none of it's real
I drop death out of the sky
Tell me why
One day they sent, one day they sent me to the chaplain when I said I can't go on
All he said, all he said was just to shut my mouth and do the will of God
But I am never sure who I am killing
How many innocents were in the building?
I drop death out of the
No longer human beings, no longer people
Just targets on a screen, none of it's real
I drop death out of the sky
Tell me why
Tell me why
To make us safe, so it would seem
But we shoot further than we dream
Can't we see, we only justify
Someone's resolve to rise against
And to avenge the innocent
And defend the ones that still survive
I'm still asking why
That I was led, that I was led by men with sober minds and sympathetic hearts
I swore an oath, swore an oath, but never knew just what it was to take a life
To play at God, play at God across such distances and from so great a height
But I am never sure who I am killing
How many innocents were in the building?
I drop death out of the
No longer human beings, no longer people
Just targets on a screen, none of it's real
I drop death out of the sky
Tell me why
One day they sent, one day they sent me to the chaplain when I said I can't go on
All he said, all he said was just to shut my mouth and do the will of God
But I am never sure who I am killing
How many innocents were in the building?
I drop death out of the
No longer human beings, no longer people
Just targets on a screen, none of it's real
I drop death out of the sky
Tell me why
Tell me why
To make us safe, so it would seem
But we shoot further than we dream
Can't we see, we only justify
Someone's resolve to rise against
And to avenge the innocent
And defend the ones that still survive
I'm still asking why
Lyrics submitted by mikeandersonwa, edited by jrendon86
Death from Above Lyrics as written by Edward Carrington Breckenridge Dustin Michael Kensrue
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think this song can just speak for itself. It's from the perspective of a bomber pilot, bombing buildings full of "insurgents/terrorists/bad guys". But how many innocents were in the building? This is a song about the conscience of someone sent to kill for our clearly not sympathetic or sober minded leaders. Interestingly enough, even though Kensrue is Christian, he is pointing out, in the chaplain bit, how Christian conservatives often justify and defend killing and war. This song also outlines how impersonal and dehumanizing killing our woefully outgunned opponents with a bomb from the sky can be.
@Fr1dge Dustin has clearly lost his faith, hence the album name
@leviticus1 I'm not entirely sure how you reached that conclusion based on either this song or the album name
@Fr1dge Just the whole album in general. A lot of their old stuff is inspired but this is different on their part. He's just so sick of it<br />
I think it's likely that he's specifically talking about drone pilots in this song. "playing god across this distance" "Just targets on the screen" "we shoot further than we dream"
So the song is basically a drone pilot questioning the morality of bombing people from the other side of the world.
As others have said, this is about a guy searching his conscience as he carries out orders to bomb targets in far-off lands.
But the last stanza hit home for me. I'm a non-interventionist, which means that I think toppling governments and picking sides in regional conflicts often have the opposite outcome from what is wanted. It helps radicalize the people we are attacking.
Dustin is talking about that in a very eloquent way:
"Can’t we see? We only justify Someone’s resolve to rise against And to avenge the innocent And defend the ones that still survive"
Wow.
@LibertyMark This is exactly correct, in my opinion. It's wonderful to see artists understanding what interventionism does. Thrice have always been pretty anti-war.
Oh dear this is embarrassing. First I respond to my own comment without realizing it, and then I post an empty comment. I can't find a delete option.