"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.
After he had journeyed,
And his feet were sore,
And he was tired,
He came upon an orange grove
And he rested.
And he lay in the cool,
And while he rested, he took unto himself an orange and tasted it,
And it was good.
And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked, and he saw the tree above him, and the stars,
And the veins in the leaf
And the light, and the balance,
And he saw magnificent perfection,
And he knew he was.
Just open your eyes,
And realise, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart,
And that's a start.
And he thought of those he angered,
For he was not a violent man,
And he thought of those he hurt,
For he was not a cruel man
And he thought of those he frightened
For he was not an evil man,
And he understood.
He understood himself.
Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear,
It was because he was not understanding,
And he learned compassion.
And with his eye of compassion
He saw his enemies like unto himself,
And he learned love.
Then, he was answered.
Just open your eyes,
And realise, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart,
And that's a start.
And his feet were sore,
And he was tired,
He came upon an orange grove
And he rested.
And he lay in the cool,
And while he rested, he took unto himself an orange and tasted it,
And it was good.
And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked, and he saw the tree above him, and the stars,
And the veins in the leaf
And the light, and the balance,
And he saw magnificent perfection,
And he knew he was.
Just open your eyes,
And realise, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart,
And that's a start.
And he thought of those he angered,
For he was not a violent man,
And he thought of those he hurt,
For he was not a cruel man
And he thought of those he frightened
For he was not an evil man,
And he understood.
He understood himself.
Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear,
It was because he was not understanding,
And he learned compassion.
And with his eye of compassion
He saw his enemies like unto himself,
And he learned love.
Then, he was answered.
Just open your eyes,
And realise, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart,
And that's a start.
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
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Fast Car
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My favorite of all poems by The Moody Blues.
The Balance is about finding yourself, finding out who you are and where you've come from. Self understanding and also an awareness of the earth and becoming one with it.
In the first portion, he has walked this earth, journeyed through his life and stopped to finally take it all in. Questioning things he never has until this point in his life.
Tasting the orange, he has tasted life and learned meaning.
"And he saw magnificent perfection, Whereon he thought of himself in balance, And he knew he was."
He has a true awakening here.
The earth and all it has to offer has always been here. He realizes and respects what it offers to him. Behind to it and others in your life.
"Just open your eyes, and realize, The way it's always been. Just open your mind and you will find The way it's always been. Just open your heart and that's a start"
As you go through life, you will upset others,you will be upset by them - but in the end we are all the same. Just on a journey through life, trying to find something we can love and something to share this love with.
"And with his eye of compassion He saw his enemies Like unto himself, And he learned love. Then, he was answered."
The overarching theme is self awareness paired with understanding how to love and appreciate everyone and everything. It's why I love this one.