"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.
Invade and encompass to judge and dissect
Witness and persecute to serve and protect
To serve, and protect to serve
To serve, and protect to serve
Watchful and aware, constrain every movement
Admit the consequences, freedom's an illusion
Where is security governed through scrutiny?
Your privacy denied, organized and confined!
No place to hide!
No place to hide!
There is no place to hide
Plugged in your mind
Conformed design
To concede your rights
Concede your mind
Surrender to authority
'All must abide and all must adhere'
Future oppression becoming more clear
This is a warning so you must take heed
This coming vision is reality
Where is security governed through scrutiny?
Your privacy denied, organized and confined!
No place to hide!
No place to hide!
Witness and persecute to serve and protect
To serve, and protect to serve
To serve, and protect to serve
Watchful and aware, constrain every movement
Admit the consequences, freedom's an illusion
Where is security governed through scrutiny?
Your privacy denied, organized and confined!
No place to hide!
No place to hide!
There is no place to hide
Plugged in your mind
Conformed design
To concede your rights
Concede your mind
Surrender to authority
'All must abide and all must adhere'
Future oppression becoming more clear
This is a warning so you must take heed
This coming vision is reality
Where is security governed through scrutiny?
Your privacy denied, organized and confined!
No place to hide!
No place to hide!
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I love this song. this is easily one of fear factorys best song. thier drummer is the best! he is so good in this song.
song is all about how police/government to crazy. saying the system is corupt :P. gone to far. no privacy left
incase any one was lost... if they were im amazed you found this site
SEC. 106. HABEAS CORPUS MATTERS.
(a) In General- Section 2241 of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (e) (as added by section 1005(e)(1) of Public Law 109-148 (119 Stat. 2742)) and by striking subsection (e) (as added by added by section 1405(e)(1) of Public Law 109-163 (119 Stat. 3477)); and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
`(e)(1) No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider an application for a writ of habeas corpus filed by or on behalf of an alien detained by the United States who--
`(A) is currently in United States custody; and
`(B) has been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination.
`(2) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 1005(e) of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 (10 U.S.C. 801 note), no court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider any other action against the United States or its agents relating to any aspect of the detention, transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of confinement of an alien detained by the United States who--
`(A) is currently in United States custody; and
`(B) has been determined by the United States to have been properly detained as an enemy combatant or is awaiting such determination.'.
(b) Effective Date- The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act , and shall apply to all cases, without exception, pending on or after the date of the enactment of this Act which relate to any aspect of the detention, transfer, treatment, trial, or conditions of detention of an alien detained by the United States since September 11, 2001.
In early 2006, USA Today reported that several major telephone companies were cooperating with the National Security Agency to monitor the phone records of U.S. citizens. This report came on the heels of allegations that the U.S. government had been conducting electronic surveillance of domestic telephone calls without warrants. Many of the phone companies listed in the reported have refutted this claim. [1]
Traffic cameras, installed in 18 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. and meant to help enforce traffic laws at intersections, have also sparked some controversy. [2] There have been reports that the NSA has been gathering information on financial records, internet surfing habits, monitoring e-mails, and surveillance on social networks such as Myspace[3].
This NSA monitoring program is based on the ECHELON system which has been in operation for 10 years. This uses advanced antenna and computers technology. The ECHELON program has also been used to conduct economic espionage on France.
This was the song that opened my eyes to Fear Factory. What power.
In terms of meaning, I think it is fair to say that it is about the degradation of social liberties on a massive scale, possibly a warning of things to come:
"All must abide and all must adhere" Future oppression becoming more clear This is a warning so you must take heed This coming vision is reality"
Burton's right too. Look at the new laws introduced under the disguise of anti-terrorism - people can be detained without a fair trial and subjected to torture methods to extract a "confession". And the examples Num_shadow raised is a good point too.
What an awesome song. Thank you Fear Factory.
This is from wikipedia (and is definitely correct):
"The Securitron are the antagonists in the story and their name is part of the album's song, "Securitron (Police State 2000)".
In the story, they serve as law enforcement, governmental leaders and are deadset in keeping humanity in-line. Securitron is an actual organization that controls the police of the future, the Police 2000 and also Smasher/Devourer. It is the increased use and abuse of machinery by humanity that caused them to come into existence. They appear to be all over the world and to ensure no crime is gone un-seen, they have set large monitors in various places to keep humanity under their view. This is much like how The Party in Nineteen Eighty-Four utilized the telescreens on the population of Oceania. They themselves are likely cyborgs and also appear to be draining the Earth's resources. Despite keeping humanity under control, their true plans seem to lean on making humanity extinct.
They come out victorious against Edgecrusher as in the end of the album they capture and imprison him."
It's very creepy that such a blatantly realistic song has so few comments after all these years... The masses are still hiding from the truth I guess... =P