"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.
On a long and lonesome highway
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engine
Moanin' out his one note song
You can think about the woman
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you're ridin' sixteen hours
And there's nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin'
You just wish the trip was through
See here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Well you walk into a restaurant
Strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
As you're shakin' off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you
But you just want to explode
Most times you can't hear 'em talk
Other times you can
All the same old cliches
"Is that a woman or a man?"
And you always seem outnumbered
You don't dare make a stand
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Out there in the spotlight
You're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body
Like the music that you play
Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers
Ringin' in your head
You smoke the day's last cigarette
Rememberin' what she said
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
There I go
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engine
Moanin' out his one note song
You can think about the woman
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you're ridin' sixteen hours
And there's nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin'
You just wish the trip was through
See here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Well you walk into a restaurant
Strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
As you're shakin' off the cold
You pretend it doesn't bother you
But you just want to explode
Most times you can't hear 'em talk
Other times you can
All the same old cliches
"Is that a woman or a man?"
And you always seem outnumbered
You don't dare make a stand
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Out there in the spotlight
You're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body
Like the music that you play
Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers
Ringin' in your head
You smoke the day's last cigarette
Rememberin' what she said
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
There I go
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by mitchell7448
Turn The Page Lyrics as written by Bob Seger
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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Although this song does have many literal implications about being on the road I believe the deeper meaning of this is referring to a past relationship with being "on the road again" referring to Seger trying to find himself and trying to "turn the page" from the past into the future.
"You can think about the woman or the girl you knew the night before" Directly refers to this past love or relationship
"But your thoughts will soon be wandering the way they always do" This line refers to "what-if" thoughts which always run through his mind when theres not much to do
And you don't feel much like ridin', you just wish the trip was through" This line references his "ride" of finding himself and wishing the pain and inconveniences of being "on the road" would just be over.
I believe the whole verse about walking into a restaurant and hearing the people talk about him may refer to him taking a break from the "road" only to hear the people in his life criticizing him about his lifestyle choices which makes him feel like he wants to "explode" and that it is not worth "making a stand" to defend himself since he feels "outnumbered"
"Out there in the spotlight you're a million miles away" Seger is finally "up on the stage and playing the star again" and has finally reached his goal of finding himself and the girl is now finally a distant part of his life"
"Later in the evening as you lie awake in bed, With the echoes from the amplifiers ringin' in your head. You smoke the days last cigarette, rememberin what she said" The final line in my opinion is the most defining of the song. He is trying to say at the end of the day that even after being "on the road" for so long and finally reaching the "stage" (trying to finding himself and finally reaching a place where he belongs) the thought of the women he loved will always be on his mind.
I like to browse the internet and see what other people say about various things. A lot of times I have been frightened (you oughta see some of the freaks that have left comments about Charles Manson, wow), and other times, just saddened by what I have perceived as the 'younger generation' commenting on classic songs. The people posting for this song? Well, my faith in humanity has been restored. Yes, Seger's original version of this is FAR better than Metallica's. More..... believeable. TSA wrote that James Hetfield sounds as though he is 'forcing the words'?. TSA is being polite. Sounds like Mr. Hetfield is trying to shit a watermelon, somewhat unsuccessfully. Seger sounds believeably road-weary. So the listner can wind up believing Seger, tired, a bit burned-out and missing home, whereas Hetfield is like a Bouvier in a cement-mixer.
Metallica's cover is decent, but the original is the best!!!!! :)
Turn the page is a song about a rock star (with long hair "Is that a woman or a man?") with problems about going anywhere without people talking about him behind his back and he just wants to go home and get back to his normal life. I really love this song but I think metallica ruins it with their hard rock, this song wasn't meant to be hard rock it was supposed to be a a softer rock.
I'm glad we have a music sheriff on the site who knows exactly what music is "supposed" to be. Well I know what music is supposed to be too. Music is supposed to be how anyone who listens hears it. Metallica's version is just as real as Bob Seger's original version. And just because they play it differently doesn't make the song any less or any more than it is originally. A true music fan would not be so closed-minded. Art is art. Music is music. It's not good or bad. It just is.
i really like this song. it is true in very many ways. u just have to really listen to the lyrics. what i think he is trying to say in this song is that there are many prices to fame such as people always following,talking about, and bothering you. but i think that what it all comes down to in the end is that the question. WHY WOULD SOMEONE PAY A HIGH PRICE IF THEY DIDNT LOVE WHAT THEY DO?
This song is a great one. Not too many young people such as myself know that its Segar. This song to me means that you can't get hung up on one event in your life, you have to move on and let shit go.
OzzyGurly the Metallica version doesn't ever compare to Bob Seger's version. I'm a huge Metallica fan and I think Seger's is way better.
Ozzy - first of all "Turn the Page" is a ballad - not something a heavy metal group should have even TRIED to remake. Nothing beats the original version!!! Was Metallica so desperate for money that they had to remake a lot of classic rock songs???? Napster must have really put a dent in their income!!!!
Actually, no one has any right to say anyone shouldn't attempt at covering a song. I rather liked Metallica's rendition, and they go to show that any song can be interpreted by anyone in many ways both versions are in the eyes of two different types of rock stars, Metallica's music video shows it can even go for a whore. Music is in many ways universal. And if you personally don't like the musical style of another version, doesn't mean it's worse, just not your style. Keep an open mind! (not just you Dreamweaver, any critics quick to state their opinion as fact)
Ok first of all the are at least seven Ballads by MEtallica. Second of all they were not desperate for money. They just wanted to give some tribute to their inspiration for becoming a band. Third, Napster wasn't until 2000-2001. Garage Inc., the album that Metallica's cover of "Turn the Page" appeared on, was released in 1998. Next time do some research before you start opening your mouth about a band you know nothing about. And finally who are you to say that a band can't do something like make a cover? I agree with OniKage. I don't mind opinions, I mind it when people present their opinions as pure fact.
napster proved a good way to cover up the fact that all of metallicas new stuff blew and nobody wanted to buy it. They just blamed the crappy sales on napster. I like winMX better, anyways :)
great song (the original)
I have always liked Segar, his music and style was about different things in life and how they learned from it. I am not too crazy about Metallica singing this song. This song is a legend to most people and live by the lyrics in life.