"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.
I tried to kill the pain
But only brought more
(So much more)
I lay dying
And I'm pouring, crimson regret, and betrayal
I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
Screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Do you remember me?
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side?
Will you forget me?
I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
Screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
(Return to me salvation)
(I want to die!)
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries, for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide
But only brought more
(So much more)
I lay dying
And I'm pouring, crimson regret, and betrayal
I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
Screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Do you remember me?
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side?
Will you forget me?
I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
Screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
(Return to me salvation)
(I want to die!)
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God! My tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries, for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ! Tourniquet! My suicide
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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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This actually is a Christian song. Rocky Gray, a former band member,wrote it for his band, Soul Embraced, and Ev reworked it, and made it sound way better (I heard the original. It's just some growly scary man).
I think it's written from the point of view of someone who has just committed suicide, who was a Christian, but has drifted away from God. They don't know if they can be forgiven for all the drifting away and suicide n' such (some call suicide the unforgivable sin, as you've committed murder, but cannot beg forgiveness, as you're, well...dead).
Sorry if my comment has all actually been said before, I didn't read a lot of them. Oh yeah. Someone else said the same thing, only better. Ah well. XD
Yes this song was originally done by Soul Embraced. Despite all their denial of being a Christian band, I find it interesting that when looking for a drummer they selected Rocky Gray (a well known Christian Metal GUITARIST) to play drums.
I don't think I agree with lostinadyingworld...a tourniquet is something that stops bleeding from a large wound, like a bandage. I think the song is begging to be saved from death rather than inviting death...they want a metaphorical tourniquet to stop their pain and bleeding and bring them salvation...
lilpunk8267. this song talks all about the salvation of Jesus Christ. that means that she prayed a prayer that accepted Jesus as her savior, understanding that he died on the cross to pay for the ENTIRE world's sins, and that she will become reborn, a new person, a follower of Christ. because God is completely holy, sin separates us from him forever. But he sent his only son to die (Knowing full well that he would rise from the dead) to pay for the sins of the world. This song is saying how she accepted salvation or got 'saved', but she thinks she has done too many bad things and is falling away from God. She is asking whether when she dies and goes to face judgment whether or not God will accept her into heaven, "am i too lost to be saved?". she refers to God as her tourniquet because He can save your soul for eternity (much like an earthly tourniquet, a bandage that stops bleeding and can save your life).
How about a compromise? it's about commiting suicide, changing your mind, not dying, and changing your life.
i agree with whoami13 though off the record...Lasorlight10, Amy Lee doesn't strike me as a religious person. though if you can find proof from her that this is about Jesus, I'll believe you. but as of what i know, she's not religious...at least not enough to write a song for it.
perhaps one can be christian and in a band without it being a christian band? it's not unheard of. also, one or two christian-themed songs does not a christian band make. i'm not in the band, so i can't really say, but i'd guess they're pretty damn secular.
though i agree that there is a definite religious theme in this song, the person in the lyrics expresses some doubts. "do you remember me lost for so long? will you be on the other side or will you forget me?" he/she isn't exactly sure there is a christ or god, or even if there is, if they will save them. the reason for this could be that christian dogma teaches that suicides go to hell..."will i be denied christ?" i see this as less of a typical "christian" song, and more of a song about christianity, dealing with the issues of belief and whether simple belief is enough.
Evanescence is not a Christian band.
“There are people that are hell-bent on the idea that we’re a Christian band in disguise, and that we have some secret message,” singer Amy Lee said. “We have no spiritual affiliation with this music. It’s simply about life experience.” Lee adds, “I guarantee that if the Christian bookstore owners listened to some of those songs, they wouldn’t sell the CD.” Guitarist Ben Moody added, “I’m not ashamed of my spiritual beliefs, but I in no way incorporate them into this band. We’re actually high on the Christian charts, and I’m like, What the fu** are we even doing there?”
To me, this song has biblical and Christian intonations. The woman singing is looking to be saved from her life of "death," or sin rather. The first verse refers to her own attempts to stop the pain of her own sinful life and the fact that it just caused more pain. So it seems she turned to God and now, she's looking to Him as a tourniquet, which is a device to stop bleeding, to prevent her from the self destruction from a sinful life. The "crimson regret and betrayal" refer to the action of sin. In other words, she feels she betrayed God with her sin and she regrets it. She also asks God whether she is too lost to be saved, and whether He remembers her, because she's been away from Him for so long. The last verse which refers to death and suicide may refer to the metaphorical "dying to the world" when a Christian decides to commit their life to God. In short, "Tourniquet" is a song about a woman seeking the Salvation of Christ to deliver her from sin and death. This, of course, is my take on it; this is what the song means TO ME. You're free to disagree, but this is what I think, anyway.
I totally agree with everything you've said, thankyou for explaining it to me.
Yeah, I totally agree. Some things I'd also like to point out that go along with you.<br /> <br /> When Jesus was on the cross and paying the atoning sacrifice for our sins he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!"<br /> <br /> And I think that Evanescence is alluding to that. My God (why have you forsaken me), My Tourniquet (Tourniquet has two definitions, first is the medical object that restricts blood flow, but second is a device used to pull together the different parts of wodden furniture, alluding to how her life is broken apart and she needs God to pull it together), Return to me Salvation.
I tried to kill my pain But only brought more (so much more) I lay dying And I'm pouring crimson regrets and betrayal
TO ME this means she tried to kill her self to solve her problems with the world vuts regrets because she is in more physical and mental pain than before. Then the bridge,
Im dying praying Bleeding And screamin am i too lost to be saved am i too lost? is about all the things she going through in that moment and is asking god if she is too late to late to be helped by him
My god, my tourniquet Return to me salvation My god, my tourniquet Return to me salvation
And in the chorus she asking god to save her.
Do you remember me? Lost for so long Will you be on the other side Or will you forget me?
In this verse she asking God does he remember her because her life was not focusing on him as it was before and she has been lost, being cuaght up in fame and worldiness. She is also asking God would he be able to help because of her past without him.
My wounds cry for the grave My soul cries for deliverance Will I be denied?
in this last verse she saying that her body is acheing and wants the pain to be stop by dieing but her hearts want to be saved with God.
Christ Tourniquet My suicide
in this three line its jus stating the options of stopping the blood by being saved with god or by suicide. This is just MY INTERPRETATION OF THE SONG AND I LOVE EVANESCENCE
Finally, someone who gets it! This is exactly what I interpreted :) u got very in detail xD
everyone has their own meanings to songs....but whatever this song rocks!
Soul Embraced is a christian death metal band...Soul Embraced - My Tourniquet does not sound all that much like this version. much heavier and add deep scream like singing...they are trying to spread the word of "Salvation through Jesus Christ"
I wonder why this non Christian band covered a song by a very openly Christian band.
Because the members are Christian.
this was prolly said already but. My favorite part of the song is when she says "Pouring Crimson Regret" I thought it meant that when you cut your self obviously you bleed-crimson and she regreted it. "cure the pain but only brought more." I personally went through all of this. and this song was on my CD player all the time. Not sure if all my interperations of the song are correct but to my personal belives this song is absoulely REAL and TRUE. I didnt know if god would forgive me for the acts I did. or i would be "denied Christ" im not very religious and im still confused with it all but i do apprciate everything that God has given me and i didnt want him to think that i wasnt even if i did kill myself. all i can say is that this is an amazing song so anyone who has not listened to it should. lol