"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.
My mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, Mercury's in, Mercury's
In retrograde
This is not the time, the time to start a new love
This is not the time, the time to sign a lease
Try not to worry about what's forgotten
Try not to worry about what's been missed
Scars on shins and scars on my knuckles
Today I woke up in a basketball court
Jonjo's in Sydney and he ain't returning
I'm sitting in Soho trying to stay drunk
In any bar in the world
From Silverlake to Williamsburg
You could pick another stranger
And fall in love
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
This is not the time, the tie to start a new love
This is not the time, the time to sign a lease
Try not to worry about what's forgotten
Try not to worry about what's been missed
Bleeding gums and veins protruding
You're starting to hate all of your clothes
Neumayr's in LA and she ain't returning
I'm sleeping with people I don't even like
In any bar in the world
From Silverlake to Williamsburg
You could pick another stranger
And fall in love
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
Mercyry's in, mercury's in retrograde
When I saw you last night
I wanted to say, run away with me
Away from these cynics
That this could be the start of
Something truly real
But all that I could say was "hey"
Was hey
Was hey
Was hey
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
Mercyry's in, mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
Mercyry's in, mercury's in retrograde.
My mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, Mercury's in, Mercury's
In retrograde
This is not the time, the time to start a new love
This is not the time, the time to sign a lease
Try not to worry about what's forgotten
Try not to worry about what's been missed
Scars on shins and scars on my knuckles
Today I woke up in a basketball court
Jonjo's in Sydney and he ain't returning
I'm sitting in Soho trying to stay drunk
In any bar in the world
From Silverlake to Williamsburg
You could pick another stranger
And fall in love
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
This is not the time, the tie to start a new love
This is not the time, the time to sign a lease
Try not to worry about what's forgotten
Try not to worry about what's been missed
Bleeding gums and veins protruding
You're starting to hate all of your clothes
Neumayr's in LA and she ain't returning
I'm sleeping with people I don't even like
In any bar in the world
From Silverlake to Williamsburg
You could pick another stranger
And fall in love
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
Mercyry's in, mercury's in retrograde
When I saw you last night
I wanted to say, run away with me
Away from these cynics
That this could be the start of
Something truly real
But all that I could say was "hey"
Was hey
Was hey
Was hey
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
Mercyry's in, mercury's in retrograde
My mercury's in retrograde
Mercury's in, mercury's in retrograde
Mercyry's in, mercury's in retrograde.
Lyrics submitted by true.love.way
Mercury Lyrics as written by Kele Okereke Gordon Moakes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Wow i love this new song. I hope they perform it in Philadelphia next month. God i don't know... This one kinda follows along the lines of a political song. Can't tell what the illusion is.
I know exactly what you're saying bpb07. I was actually shocked at how much everyone hates this, than again, I really shouldn't have been.
People don't appreciate music anymore. It's a kind of, "If it's not the new ringtone than it's pure shit," ideology. The music industry's going down hill, and there's nothing we can do but watch it burn. sad.
Awesome song. It's something to do with astrology... Google 'mercury retrograde' and you get all sorts of links to astrology, and saying how it signifies bad communication or something. I can see how this fits into some of the song, but not all of it.
Mercury in retrograde refers to the 3 times of year when Mercury appears to rotate backwards from earth. In astrology it refers to times when we direct our thoughts inward and have trouble expressing our thoughts outward....
I don't think this is a political song at all. In fact the music video makes me sick.... another Bush is a monster video....
anyways the mercury in retrograde makes sense in the way he seems to be reflecting in on himself and how he has trouble expressing his feelings...
When I saw you last night, I wanted to say, ‘Run away with me, away from the cynics That this could be the start of something truly real’ But all that I could say was, ‘hey’, Was, ‘hey’, was, ‘hey’, was, ‘hey’
The music video for this song is weird as hell...
I was not sure about this song when i frist heard it, but now i love it.
I was a bit disappointed on how they singed it live, but he put on a good show, comeing into the crowd.
bloc party hmm new it when I heard the song.. nice song :)
I always thought this song was about drugs.
Hey, I wasn't sure of all the lyrics, so feel free to make suggestions.
This song is gonna be a hit for sure with the fan base and i think we're finally seeing that the band definitely embraces the electronic influence - especially since this is the first thing directly after Flux.
And I love how this song has a lot of references to cities in America where as the last album talked about London. But I feel that the song is addressing certain scenes in cities that is completely unfeeling.
I agree. Silver Lake and Williamsburg are the hipster epicenters of LA and NY respectively, and so the lines about picking another stranger and falling in love definitely seems like a shot at the emptiness of the whole culture there. "You're starting to hate all of your clothes" also seems like it might be a critique of hipsters.