"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.
Can I get your hand to write on
Just a piece of leg to bite on
What a night to fly my kite on
Do you want to flash your light on?
Take a look, it's on display for you
Coming down, no, not today
Did you meet your fortune teller
Get it off with no propeller
Do it up, it's on with Stella
What a way to finally smell her
Pick it up, but not too strong for you
Take a piece and pass it on
Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more than ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
Fly on my wind
Rebel and a liberator
Find a way to be a skater
Rev it up to levitate her
Super friendly aviator
Take a look, it's on display for you
Coming down, no, not today
Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more than ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
In the water, where I center my emotion
All the world can pass me by
Fly away on my zephyr
We'll find a place together
(Whoa) whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, do you
(Yeah) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Whoa) whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, want to?
(Yeah) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more than ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
In the water where I center my emotion
All the world can pass me by
Fly away on my zephyr
We're gonna live forever
Forever
Just a piece of leg to bite on
What a night to fly my kite on
Do you want to flash your light on?
Take a look, it's on display for you
Coming down, no, not today
Did you meet your fortune teller
Get it off with no propeller
Do it up, it's on with Stella
What a way to finally smell her
Pick it up, but not too strong for you
Take a piece and pass it on
Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more than ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
Fly on my wind
Rebel and a liberator
Find a way to be a skater
Rev it up to levitate her
Super friendly aviator
Take a look, it's on display for you
Coming down, no, not today
Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more than ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
In the water, where I center my emotion
All the world can pass me by
Fly away on my zephyr
We'll find a place together
(Whoa) whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, do you
(Yeah) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(Whoa) whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, want to?
(Yeah) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fly away on my zephyr
I feel it more than ever
And in this perfect weather
We'll find a place together
In the water where I center my emotion
All the world can pass me by
Fly away on my zephyr
We're gonna live forever
Forever
Lyrics submitted by MatzcaKe, edited by strychninetwitch
The Zephyr Song Lyrics as written by John Frusciante Michael Balzary
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Great version of a great song,
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“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.
He's happy. He's in love. He's sooooooo happy, just listen to him. Seriously...the Chili Peppers...LISTEN TO THEM! You will be a better person.
I hope you eventually learned, this song is not happy. Its not about god, its not about a woman, its not about any stupid mindless thing you think of. Its about a life affair with heroin. Don't believe me, go find some, shoot just a tiny, come back in six months and tell me how ya feel.
1st i wanna say this song totally kicks ass..i mean WOW RHCP has done it again...ok now for wat i think the meaning is: i think this is a type of obscure love song..as u all probably know the meanigs behind anythony's lyrics are sometimes hard to find, but i think this is a love song talkin about flying away to someplace with ur love in a zephyr, just the 2 of u and just having a blast...well thats my take on it..once again AWESOME SONG!..later guys/chicks
when i listen to this.. i think about weed and wat it does.. i dont know y.. it just does.. no im not a pothead anymore.. and yes this song rocks
@bonnerz Yeah, I never thought this song was about love, I thought it was about being high as a kite. Whatever drug of choice, ecstacy, weed, whatever, I mean, come on<br /> <br /> "Pick it up it's not too strong for you<br /> Take a piece and pass it on"<br /> <br /> That has to be about shrooms or acid or something, right?
I hope i'm not yelled at for saying this but i think this song is the highest point on the new disk, i mean the new disk is absolutely christ (i'm almost certain it takes home album of the year), every song is worth listening too, but this song just transcends above all others. The melody is beautiful, and the lyrics are equally as beautiful. The meaning isn't necessarily important, not fully knowing what it means makes the song that much better. Truely a great song by a truely great band.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are gods of the industry
a zephyr is acctually a gentle wind not to show you up but i think it makes a little more sense. the song is still great ... after watching a bio on the red hot chili peppers i have a whole new respect for them.
Can I get your hand to write on Just a piece of lead to bite on What am I to fly my kite on Do you want to flash your light on
I think that atleast is about needing something to hold on to, to help you through something. Leaving a light on is supposed to let you get home. a String is why you fly a kite with (hold onto it with), Lead is a soft metal, so isnt good to bite on (people bite on things when going through pain, etc...). The hand to write on, using someone elses hand to write on would be writing your number...
I think the chorus is just about letting go... Just finding a place to be happy, to get away from your problems and the world.
This is a song about surfing.
Zephyr is a legendary and world famous surf/skateboard shop down in SoCal.
The song is pretty straight forward as long as you understand that reference and are aware of Tony's affinity to the ocean. It's about the perfect day out with that special someone.
@secretsins This is also a nice interpretation. Surfing, when you can really do that, must be similar like flying. The joy, being together with the elements of water or air... Yep, this is the way of imagination I like, thank you :)
The song is about the Zephyr boys in an area in LA called dogtown in the 70s when modern skateboarding came about. The Z-boys were a group of surfers that when there weren't any waves to surf they would go to sears cut clay wheels off roller blades and drill them into a piece of wood. They had to do this because after skateboards died out in the 60s as just another trend, skateboards were no longer produced. The reason the Z-boys skated was the practice their surfing. They skated with such style and uniqueness that people could not help but want to watch. Being that RHCP are from Cali and generally in the same punk rock skater scene as the Z-boys it makes sense that this song would be about the revolution of skateboarding.
"Rebellin, a liberator Find a way to be a skater Rev it up to levitator Super friendly aviator Take a look its on display - for you Coming down no not today"
At that time skateboarders were looked at as outcasts and anti-social. Skateboarding was a rebellion.
Also when he says "we'll find a place together" is about them finding a place to surf or skate. As back then skate parks did not exist.
Hopefully this helped you all! Here's the link to the movie about the Z-boys and the evolution of skateboarding: youtube.com/watch
This song just makes me feel really happy
I generally hate the old cliché that so many songs are about drugs but this one in my opinion is about being high, probably together with someone else.