"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.
One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call
He called Alice, when she was just small
When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice, I think she'll know
When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's off with her head
Remember what the Dormouse said
Feed your head, feed your head
And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call
He called Alice, when she was just small
When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice, I think she'll know
When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's off with her head
Remember what the Dormouse said
Feed your head, feed your head
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by ILoveMyCat
White Rabbit Lyrics as written by Grace Wing Slick
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Clearly the song is about drug use in correlation with the Alice in Wonderland story, but no has mentioned a deeper meaning that goes along with the song as well...This song is also an anti-war song, (Vietnam). As were many songs during this era. They don't explicitly say this, but you can definitely draw parallels:
"And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall," (War)
"Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar Has given you the call." (President/draft)
"When the men on the chessboard Get up and tell you where to go" (Government)
"When logic and proportion Have fallen sloppy dead," (Lost cause, failure of Vietnam)
Clearly yes, it is a hallucination about drug use and a commentary on such, but I do think there is a deeper meaning in these lyrics...Jefferson Airplane were very anti-war so I can see this song as being a metaphor for the war as well...The white knight, and the red queen, perhaps countries...hmm interesting trippy song this classic is :)