"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.
Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno!
Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno!
Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno!
Back in '68 in a sweaty club
(Oh, Geno)
Before Jimmy's Machine and The Rocksteady Rub
(Oh, Geno)
On a night when flowers didn't suit my shoes
After a week of flunkin' and bunkin' school
The lowest head in the crowd that night
Just practicin' steps and keepin' outta the fights
Academic inspiration, you gave me none
But you were Michael the lover
The fighter that won
But now just look at me as I'm looking down at you
No, I'm not bein' flash, It's what I'm built to do
That man took the stage, his towel was swingin' high
(Oh Geno)
This man was my bombers, my Dexy's, my high
(Oh, Geno)
How the crowd, they all hailed you, and chanted your name
But they never knew like we knew
Me and you were the same
And now you're all over, your song is so tame, brrr
You fed me, you bred me, I'll remember your name
Academic inspiration, you gave me none
But you were Michael the lover
The fighter that won
But now just look at me as I'm looking down at you
No, I'm not bein' flash, It's what I'm built to do
Oh, Geno
(Oh, Geno)
Oh, Geno
(Oh, Geno)
Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno!
Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno!
Back in '68 in a sweaty club
(Oh, Geno)
Before Jimmy's Machine and The Rocksteady Rub
(Oh, Geno)
On a night when flowers didn't suit my shoes
After a week of flunkin' and bunkin' school
The lowest head in the crowd that night
Just practicin' steps and keepin' outta the fights
Academic inspiration, you gave me none
But you were Michael the lover
The fighter that won
But now just look at me as I'm looking down at you
No, I'm not bein' flash, It's what I'm built to do
That man took the stage, his towel was swingin' high
(Oh Geno)
This man was my bombers, my Dexy's, my high
(Oh, Geno)
How the crowd, they all hailed you, and chanted your name
But they never knew like we knew
Me and you were the same
And now you're all over, your song is so tame, brrr
You fed me, you bred me, I'll remember your name
Academic inspiration, you gave me none
But you were Michael the lover
The fighter that won
But now just look at me as I'm looking down at you
No, I'm not bein' flash, It's what I'm built to do
Oh, Geno
(Oh, Geno)
Oh, Geno
(Oh, Geno)
Lyrics submitted by r0cketbabyd0ll
Geno Lyrics as written by Kevin Rowland Kevin Archer
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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An absoutely fantastic lyric. Perfect. Yep, a tribute to Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, with various references - Michael the Lover, the fighter who won. A rememberence of a young Rowlands 'flunking and bunking school' to be the youngest member of the crowd at a Geno gig, when he should've been studying - academic inspiration you gave me none. And now Kevin is grown up and following his career, and individualist seeing Geno as someone who identifies with - but they never knew like we knew you and me were the same - but who he's destined to outstrip - and now just look at me as I'm looking down on you, I'm not being flash it's just what I'm born to do.
Excellent upbeat happy track, i just wanted to be first to put a comment :) iam surprised theres none on it?
One of my favourite songs ever - a tribute to soul act Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band.
I've always loved this song great to see the lyrics, I had a hard time trying to work them out for myself!
Me too mentalistic. Remember this playing when coincidentally we were 'bunking school' at the age of 10!! <br /> <br /> Those lyrics have been a mystery to me ever since: For instance 'the lowest head in the crowd that night' I always thought were 'Jimmy always said it wouldnt be right'!!<br /> <br /> Suppose thats a tribute to Kevin Rowlands singing of this fantastic song...Its charm was its mystery cos you never knew what he was singing...Brilliant!!
The song is a tribute to Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, a London-based soul band, in 1960s a big inspiration to songwriter Kevin Rowlands; an idol and possibly a crush? “Michael the lover“ is a quote from the song Michael by Geno. It’s how Kevin saw him. It is unclear whether they had an off stage personal relationship going, “ but they never knew, like we knew, me and you were the same“. Or, if the identification between them was purely in Kevin‘s head. He recalls Gino fading from fame and his own rise with Dexys midnight runners. Although Kevin idolised Gino he also saw a bit of competition between them. The student becoming the teacher. “And now just look at me as I am looking down on you“. “Looking down“ seems a bit of a harsh way to look at your old idol now that you are winning at the fame game. Condescending. There is definitely a touch of ego and bitterness to this. Whether it’s because of what occurred in their personal relationship which may, or may not, have existed or if it’s just Kevin‘s competitive attitude to surpassing his idol, I don’t know.