"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.
Happy and I'm smiling
Walk a mile to drink your water
You know I'd love to love you
And above you there's no other
We'll go walking out
While others shout of war's disaster
Oh, we won't give in
Let's go living in the past
Once I used to join in
Every boy and girl was my friend
Now there's revolution, but they don't know
What they're fighting
Let us close our eyes
Outside their lives go on much faster
Oh, we won't give in
We'll keep living in the past
Oh, we won't give in
Let's go living in the past
Oh no, no we won't give in
Let's go living in the past
Walk a mile to drink your water
You know I'd love to love you
And above you there's no other
We'll go walking out
While others shout of war's disaster
Oh, we won't give in
Let's go living in the past
Once I used to join in
Every boy and girl was my friend
Now there's revolution, but they don't know
What they're fighting
Let us close our eyes
Outside their lives go on much faster
Oh, we won't give in
We'll keep living in the past
Oh, we won't give in
Let's go living in the past
Oh no, no we won't give in
Let's go living in the past
Lyrics submitted by knate15, edited by Living in the pust
Living in the Past Lyrics as written by Ian Anderson
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is a pretty obvious Tull song, about loving a woman. The first four stanzas hes just talking about how much he loves her, then gets to the point of the song. "We'll go walking out while others shout of war's disaster." This, to me, pretty clearly means that when hes with her he doesnt care about whats going on, just thinking about a time with her that everything was good. THe whole song is like that.
HELL of a good song. Exactly how I feel about modern life. Don't push your s*** on me! I don't need it!
I'm surprised nobody has commented on the meter. The 5-beat measure grabbed my attention from the first note.
The unusual time signature whips this lovely song right around, like the breathlessness of a romantic past that'd tempt anybody to reinhabit.
Wow ... you seriously used Jethro Tull to preach about the Christan god? It was just a GREAT song by some English guys .... even Ian Anderson talks about just having a good time being a 'wacky English' band ... lol ...
@DaniHouser Where did you see Christian God? God was, is, and always will be. No denominations.
The turmoil of the Vietnam war and violence was pushing the baby boomers toward a revolution but the main character in this song has fallen in love and is rejecting the anger and pain others express to be with his love. "The past" is a time before rock and roll became political.
@stephen171 I think we have a similar take on the song. However, if you look at the first and second verse, there is an apparent disconnect. One minute the song is about an apparent love, and then about war. However, I don't think it's a disconnect- I think the love is for acres wild- a love of nature. It you look at the body of IA's work, there are very few love songs- though several on sensual desire. Remember, IA has a significant history with agricultural pursuits, and Living In the Past would probably be a reference to a farming lifestyle.
You have to remember the time this song was written, was back in during the Viet Nam war. Some of the references are linked to the war protests. I think when IA said "but they don't know what their fighting" there is a reference to the power of the establishment that dictate these types of wars and the futility of smashing up against those power structures. His Heavy Horses has a similar theme, or Jack in The Green- putting aside technology and the madness of the modern social order in favor of a more natural and less polluted/conflicted world.
Irony: when the opposite of what is expected happens.
There were a few attempts to get me into Tull, but IA scared me. Seriously. He looked like the type of guy that I could lose a girlfriend/wife to.
OM sounded like magic to me. It was strange and yet beautiful. But it wasn't enough for me to set aside the "alpha male" "instinct" that controlled my youth. So I decided that I could live without it.
The following summer, I ended up working at a camp for rich kids. A place where rich people send their kids to get rid of them for a couple of months. I wasn't actually a counselor, though, so I spent every evening alone in the cabin while everyone else was outside having fun. Well, at least I thought I was alone.
One of the kids had brought along a stereo and a few CDs. One night, I was looking through them and found Aqualung. And, of course, how could anyone not be intrigued by the front cover. So I thought, what the hell, let's hear it. What really sold me was all the "akoostick" guitar playing. There was just something about the way he made it sound. That's all I remember, really, was just being amazed at all these great "akoostick" guitar songs.
And that was the day I "officially 'became' " a Tullee.
And now... the twain it won't stop goin NO WAY 2 Slow Down.
This song is kind of similar to "Inside." They have the same theme of love creating a shield that protects you from the outside world. (I think I like "Living In the Past" better.)
This song is kind of similar to "Inside." They have the same theme of love creating a shield that protects you from the outside world. (I think I like "Living In the Past" better.)
A very fun and light-hearted Tull song, which was a rarity back in those days (around the time of "Stand Up").
youtube.com/watch