"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.
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sure
Oh, oh, oh tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
The Telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet sixteen ain't that peachy keen
Now, it ain't so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need oh, woah
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
Down, down
Shoot it all down
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, die
Oh, oh, oh and the silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sure
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like, I don't like, I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like, I don't like, (tell me why) I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot, the whole day down, uh, uh, uh
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sure
Oh, oh, oh tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
The Telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet sixteen ain't that peachy keen
Now, it ain't so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need oh, woah
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
Down, down
Shoot it all down
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain tackles
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die, die
Oh, oh, oh and the silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be sure
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like, I don't like, I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like, I don't like, (tell me why) I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot, the whole day down, uh, uh, uh
Lyrics submitted by Moondragon, edited by irina1492, sirludwigvanbiffington
I Don't Like Mondays Lyrics as written by Bob Geldof
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Mute Song Limited
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I've always thought this song was about the killings at a local highschool in the USA. ( I forget the location). From what I recall, the shooter was a young troubled teenage girl. When she was asked by the police (or media?) as to why she did it, she calmly replied "I don't like Mondays.."
No one I know can verify this and I'm fairly certain the song came out after this incident. I believe Geldorf was making a statement on "gun control" in the US and abroad. Can anyone verify this? PM me if you have any notion as to what the hell I'm talking about. Thanks.
yes this song was written about the incident of the shooting. i was watching the VH1 Top 100 One Hit Wonders of the 80s last night and this song was on there. that is how I heard of it. They talked to alot of people on the show and had it verified that the song was indeed written about that. As for the "gun control" statement however I am not so sure.....
You are both wrong, it is about somebody who killed their three children after her husband left for work. That's how the line " and nobodies gonna go to school today, there gonna make them stay at home."
Actually Fatboyjoe, ur wrong, the other two are right
I had to find some infos about this song for school, so here's some infos about the story behind it: <br /> The real inspiration for the song comes from the event in California on January 27, 1979. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the Georgia State University. It was about a 16-year-old girl Brenda Spencer, who killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer in the school playground, with her father’s gun. When the reporters asked her the reason why she was shooting people, she simply answered, 'I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day'. And then said 'There was no reason for it, and it was just a lot of fun'. She was 16 at the time, which have given rise to the line 'Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen'.<br /> He heard that the journalists who interviewed her ask, “Tell me why?” So he wrote the perfect senseless song to illustrate it<br />
@wildflower_beatnik thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/30/the-first-modern-school-shooter-feels-responsible-for-the-rest.html
@chinesedoll I believe he was at a radio station getting ready to do an interview when the news came down the wire, hence the Telex machine.
@wildflower_beatnik you are indeed correct on all counts.
@wildflower_beatnik
I disagree that Brenda Spencer was "obviously just a girl who couldn't deal with the pressure of life anymore." Everything I've read of what she said at the time of the shooting and since then indicates that she's a sociopath, and as such immune to feeling pressure beyond that of her own whims (and on the day in question, ennui). I think the song isn't meant to make the listener empathize with the criminal, but to emphasize the existentially terrifying senselessness of the crime. Life doesn't have any rhyme or reason to it, and horrible things happen with no good explanation at all sometimes.
the both of you are correct, and for the record the correct lyric in the first verse is:
"and daddy doesn't understand it, he always said she was as good as gold"
if u think they are both incorrect than why don't you tell us your story of why this was written!!!!! huh, huh? oh yeah. i didn't think so!
Um, I'm guessing that you misread roger wilco's comment.
This IS based on a real event that happened in 1979.
The "overloadedsilicon chip" in Brenda's head is a metaphor for being mentally disordered
I love this song and yeh it is about some shootout at a school, i think in san francisco. A while back I looked up on the web and found an article about the original news story. It happned in the seventies i think. I like the song cause its about something that really happened and her reason for it was so surreal "i don't like mondays". It also shows how innocent someone can appear when infact they are capable of shooting people!
I think that this song is amazing because it's so sad it's scary the way things can happen like this. There are no reasons
Ok, this song is over 20 years old it is NOT about any recent event.
sanguinalis we know it's not about a recent event and we know it's an old song apart from the fact the 'girl' is up for parole again there's nothing current about it..
the real lyrics are The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload and nobody's gonna go to school today she's going to make them stay at home and daddy doesn't understand it, he always said she was as good as gold and he can see no reason 'cos there are no reasons what reason do you need to be shown
Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays. Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays. Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays, I want to shoot the whole day down…
The telex machine is kept so clean as it types to a waiting world and mother feels so shocked father's world is rocked and their thoughts turn to their own little girl sweet sixteen ain't that peachy keen no, it ain't so neat to admit defeat they can seek no reasons 'cos there are no reasons what reason do you need
Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays. Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays. Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays, I want to shoot the whole day down, down, down, shoot it all down,
all the playing stopped in the playground now she wants to play with her toys a while and school's out early and soon we'll be learning and the lesson today is how to die and then the bullhorn crackles and the captain tackles with the problems and the how's and why's and he can seek no reasons 'cos there are no reasons what reason do you need to die die oh oh oh....
Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays. Tell me why?! I don't like Mondays. Tell me why?! I don't like, i don't like, i don't like Mondays, Tell me why i don't like, i dont like, i don't like mondays,
I want to shoo oo oo oo t the whole day down…
@joe2000 Thank you.
sillicon chip references the fact that she must have snapped (had a brain mulfuntion)in the same way a silicon chip inside a computer would. The fact that her dad doesnot understand it shows she was acting out of character she showed no signs of eing capable of doing what she ended up doing.Also is shows that no one has an explanation for her actions. Also the mood I get from the way the words are repeated and the meter shows that although she offers a reason for her actions , the reason still does not offer a explanation that would make people understand why she did what she did.
The telex machine is kept so clean as it types to a waiting world its like this machine which gives out news it makes the her parents wonder what the papers will write about the incident.The fathers world will be rocked coz it will affect their communication and relationships in the community in which they live.
sweet sixteen ain't that peachy keen At that age she is supposed to be a docile teenager no, it ain't so neat to admit defeat Its not easy for the parents to admit their contribution to her behaviour.
she wants to play with her toys a while a referernce to how it seems she did this for a selfish reason that which seems pretty whimsical and in doing so makes "toys" out of the children she shot at or a"toy" out of the gun she used
and school's out early and soon we'll be learning and the lesson today is how to die this refers to the way though some of the children went to school some of them did not learn anything except how to pass away becoz of the senseless act (which is the saddest part of the song) also the captain cannot explain it as he too is puzzled. at the end the day the reason even if offered as a reason is not a reason at all.