"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.
These bastards stole their power
From the victims of the Us v Them years
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into the trickle down runoff pool
They hypnotized the summer, ninteen-seventy-nine
Marched into the capital brooding duplicitous
Wicked and able, media-ready
Heartless, and labeled
Super US citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing, relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah
The information nation took their
Clues from all the sound-bite gluttons
1980, eighty four, eighty eight, ninety two too, too
How to be what you can be
Jump jam junking your energies
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes
They amplified the autumn, ninteen-seventy-nine
Calculate the capital
Up the republic my skinny ass
TV tells a million lies
The paper's terrified to report
Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon
I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this
So, fuck you, man (fuck 'em)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
If they weren't there we would have created them
Maybe, it's true
But I'm resentful all the same
Someone's got to take the blame
I know that this is vitriol
No solution, spleen-venting
But I feel better having screamed
Don't you?
They desecrated winter, ninteen-seventy-nine
Capital collateral
Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready
Heartless, and labeled
Super US citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing, relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I did not do the revolution
Thank you
From the victims of the Us v Them years
Wrecking all things virtuous and true
The undermining social democratic downhill slide into abysmal
Lost lamb off the precipice into the trickle down runoff pool
They hypnotized the summer, ninteen-seventy-nine
Marched into the capital brooding duplicitous
Wicked and able, media-ready
Heartless, and labeled
Super US citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing, relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah
The information nation took their
Clues from all the sound-bite gluttons
1980, eighty four, eighty eight, ninety two too, too
How to be what you can be
Jump jam junking your energies
How to walk in dignity with throw up on your shoes
They amplified the autumn, ninteen-seventy-nine
Calculate the capital
Up the republic my skinny ass
TV tells a million lies
The paper's terrified to report
Anything that isn't handed on a presidential spoon
I'm just profoundly frustrated by all this
So, fuck you, man (fuck 'em)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
If they weren't there we would have created them
Maybe, it's true
But I'm resentful all the same
Someone's got to take the blame
I know that this is vitriol
No solution, spleen-venting
But I feel better having screamed
Don't you?
They desecrated winter, ninteen-seventy-nine
Capital collateral
Brooding duplicitous, wicked and able, media-ready
Heartless, and labeled
Super US citizen, super achiever
Mega ultra power dosing, relax
Defense, defense, defense, defense
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ignoreland
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I did not do the revolution
Thank you
Lyrics submitted by shut, edited by daniel1105
Ignoreland Lyrics as written by Peter Buck Bill Berry
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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@[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.
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don't overreach on this one people: this is as obvious an anti-military, anti-republican, anti-hater song if there ever was one. And when you sing it, shout it. Yell it. Scream it. This song, more so than just about any other song in the REM catalogue, (perhaps Circus Envy) is as angry and as defiant as ANY protest song ever written by ANY band. Not about Reagan/Republicanism/GOP? Are you kidding me? THAT"S WHAT IT IS EXACTLY ABOUT!
I succinctly remember, as if it were yesterday, driving in my car to the local polling station the night of the 1992 pUS presidential election (Bush I, Clinton and Perot.) At the time I was a bit of a fence sitter and hadn't yet really decided who I was going to vote for. And I swear, as I drove in my car, listening to Automatic For the People and this song, I knew exactly which candidate I would NOT be voting for that evening. Yeah! Yeah! yeah! Yeah! ignoreland!