"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.
[fallen angel head crashes dead out of control lost
memories staircase twists darker rooms lit with left out
toys after playing men changes toys into tools twisted
playthings on the staircase fools whose weapons
represents the killing game
who taught the killing game
who taught the killing game
awaken eyes sewn wearing glasses dripping tapping at the
temple door locked inside scream inner scraping tooth and
nail nowhere to go quiet retraces forcing
light tears then pretend nothing blinds minds closed in
sanctuary closed in sanctuary padded walls not quiet
storms fury burned out killing time
who taught the killing game
time's taught the killing game herself
no I taught the killing game first
passing words distant pain remember trains of thought
collide no one view window pushing faces through sharp
cold glass poke bloody holes exposed
I taught the killing game first
I taught the killing game first
till at last you regret tortured animals wake up time
beckons death upon myself eyes travelled harden strange
no stronger feeling tempting motion slows to a
crawl places his weaponry and it's a trap let go the
springs snap shut gazes show sharper teeth giving in to
the jaws of death
I taught the killing game
I taught the killing game first
I taught I taught I taught the game first...first...first...
memories staircase twists darker rooms lit with left out
toys after playing men changes toys into tools twisted
playthings on the staircase fools whose weapons
represents the killing game
who taught the killing game
who taught the killing game
awaken eyes sewn wearing glasses dripping tapping at the
temple door locked inside scream inner scraping tooth and
nail nowhere to go quiet retraces forcing
light tears then pretend nothing blinds minds closed in
sanctuary closed in sanctuary padded walls not quiet
storms fury burned out killing time
who taught the killing game
time's taught the killing game herself
no I taught the killing game first
passing words distant pain remember trains of thought
collide no one view window pushing faces through sharp
cold glass poke bloody holes exposed
I taught the killing game first
I taught the killing game first
till at last you regret tortured animals wake up time
beckons death upon myself eyes travelled harden strange
no stronger feeling tempting motion slows to a
crawl places his weaponry and it's a trap let go the
springs snap shut gazes show sharper teeth giving in to
the jaws of death
I taught the killing game
I taught the killing game first
I taught I taught I taught the game first...first...first...
Lyrics submitted by iconnu
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"A very good song. I think this song is about a serial killer who ends up regretting everything hes done "last you regret tortured animals wake up time beckons death upon myself" and hes lost his urge to kill "tempting motion slows to a crawl" I disagree with sockheads complete statement, for one, this song was clearly written by nivek, its the same style hes always used. and two, back in 92 cobain was still a small time rocker, nivek would not have consulted him for help."
^^^ This person is an idiot.
The song is about society, and the fact that it's taught so much violence to it's people, and they follow so blindly, lashing out at the world around them. Then the world gives it's own back and they are in pain, then how they blame and blame about who started all the wars and the violence, and how they point fingers, but the real forces who started the killing game are the same people crying. It's about how in the end they might just regret it all when they're not so blind to see, that their own downfall comes from their own hands.
I like your interpretation... I think at least a little bit of this song is just Ogre having fun sounding badass though :P.<br /> And yeah that quote is awesome.
@ff45t1z I think you might have something here. But I think you're just scratching the surface of this interpretation. The way it keeps coming back to the "I" even through its kinda random use of pronouns makes it seem that this isn't about society as a whole realizing its part in its own destruction, but rather about one character's realization that there's nobody else left to blame but himself.<br /> Going by your interpretation the first half is about the character's suffering looking for someone to blame for their pain -- tellingly the line that section keeps coming back to is "who taught the killing game?"<br /> The second half of the song starting from the first "I taught the killing game first" is the character's realization that he is as much to blame for his own suffering as anyone else in the world. And how, going back in his memory, he can even see how his actions led to his current situation. His mind is no longer "closed in sanctuary". What's really interesting is that the first repeat of the line "I taught the killing game first" is delivered in a tone not of regret or resignation but triumph. That along with the line "strange no stronger feeling" makes it seem that maybe, the realization that you are to blame for your own pain doesn't come as a slap across the face... it comes as a relief.<br /> <br /> Some more interesting stuff: "Till at last you regret" in the part of the song that's about the character looking into the past, but it is in future tense. The character at this point is looking into the past to find where they went wrong, and assumes that when they find it they will feel regret.<br /> "Tortured animals wake up time" the character who felt tortured and helpless wakes up to the realization that they had the power to make at least some small change all along.<br /> "Places his weaponry and it's a trap/let go the springs snap shut/gazes show sharper teeth giving into the jaws of death" the character looking back on his past can see how his own actions (the weapon is himself) in part created whatever events led to the trap snapping shut on him and his current pain.
Killing Game = Ogre's near fatal life while shooting up &$#@
Check out interview archieves for the meanings to alot of SP songs... seems alot of the lyrics are either views on social issues or ogres personal life.
Although people should always find personal meanings to songs...... some of the ones people come up with for Skinny Puppy are so down right bizarre it scares me. People link them to free mansonry and serial killers it gets crazy
Heroin and Music... I love the combination... Skinny Puppy were at their very best while within the darkest regions of their drug addictions... This song is BY FAR my most favourite Skinny Puppy song.
This probably wasn't what he wasn't intending it to mean, but i always thought that : "Who taught the killing game? TIME's taught the killing game, herself No... I taught the killing game first."
I sort of thought that in these lines he meant that our actions bring on consequences and affect our future. We can't put the blame on time or anybody else, because we decide our own fate.
the killing game is what you do when your lifestyle gets to a point that you're a totally freaked out shut-in, hiding from your freaking window blinds completely paranoid, feeling all the danger around you coming from your own deeds, your environment, all your social contacts, and even the sidewalk traffic and its ambient noise blaring death threats at you through the walls.... it is desperately trying to assert to yourself and your demons that you're holding the 4 walls hostage and not the reverse.
there was a point in time where people would pop in like the Candyman to see if i was dead yet and then stir me up with more paranoia and other dirtier, more toxic "killing tools" for me to play with and then they'd come back at some other point to agitate me and observe me slowly killing myself very much to their entertainment.
totally like demonic agents sent from some other dimension to facilitate and sustain my suffering as they seemed to feed off it for their own nourishment.
act of playing mean changes toys into tools fools' weapons well presents the killing game dripping tap-tap temple door bitter scraping tooth and nail then pretend nothing, blinds-blinds closed in sanctuary shards cold glass tongue lash spewing red tortured animal places his own foot in its own trap *crazy sharper teeth
This must be the best song I have ever heard.
beatufiul. this is right at the top of my list of skinny puppy songs. "time's taught the killing game herself.. no.. i taught the killing game first.." amazing.
this song is fucking amazing. best skinny puppy song ever! i also love that part, that ~earthworm~ has quoted..
"no.. i taught the killing game first"
good fucking stuff
The Book of Enoch, which used to be in the Bible, says that war was taught to humans by fallen angels. heaven.net.nz/writings/enoch.htm