"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.
How can you call a man a man
When you treat him like a dog?
And how can you call a man a man
When you kill him like a hog?
How can you call him an eternal soul
And grind him in the dirt?
And how can you say a fella's free
Chained down and tied to work?
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you talk about equal rights
And jail the man that uses them?
How can you worship the rich man
That sees poor folks and refuses them?
How can you talk of freedom
And jail the man that talks it?
You kiss the man's ass that rides the road
And you jail the old boy that walks it
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you like the United States
And kill us for unitin'?
How can you accuse us of being violent
When you start all the fightin'?
Every time we organize
You rich guys pull a fast one
Oh, we might lose many a fight
But we'll damn sure win the last one
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
When you treat him like a dog?
And how can you call a man a man
When you kill him like a hog?
How can you call him an eternal soul
And grind him in the dirt?
And how can you say a fella's free
Chained down and tied to work?
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you talk about equal rights
And jail the man that uses them?
How can you worship the rich man
That sees poor folks and refuses them?
How can you talk of freedom
And jail the man that talks it?
You kiss the man's ass that rides the road
And you jail the old boy that walks it
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
How can you like the United States
And kill us for unitin'?
How can you accuse us of being violent
When you start all the fightin'?
Every time we organize
You rich guys pull a fast one
Oh, we might lose many a fight
But we'll damn sure win the last one
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
She's upside down, she's broke apart
And getting worse every day
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
A working man's hand is the hardest card
In the whole damn deck to play
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i dont think that it has a specific meaning, like a situation. overall its about ("selon moi", according to me) how people give up for others all the time. I think its probably influenced of course by the sort of oppression an irishmen might have faced, and even the kind of typical condition in boston (theyre from boston neh?).
i love songs that have a strong emotion, and whaever its about, this one does it.
No comments yet? So fucking gr8 song:) I like the dudes or whatever it is called in english:P dunno. Wtw..
i find these great lyrics
bagpipes, silly me back then...
This song is about giving your life for a family member
I agree. Really amazing lyrics, but Dropkick Murphys do have the best. It should read, "My blood runs red beneath the knife", I think, though.
Ok, I'm not sure how this interpretation occured to me but there may have been whisky involved.
I think this song is about a parent who's donating a kidney to their child to save their life. Surgery is always risky so the parent knows there's a chance they won't make it through, but even if they don't a part of them will be with their child forever.
Razed brings up a good point, it makes more since to think that it's a father giving up something to save his kids life in a surgery. DKM have always been a great band, singing about unions, people dying for a greater cause, etc.
I may be wrong, but my interpretation: Son doesnt have to be your child. it could be an older man in war, like a veteran, dying to save the younger ones. Razed19 makes a great point but i dont think that is the meaning. everyone has their own opinion but i think its someone taking the fall (falling on the grenade) for others to live, and there is no greater valor than that
Diablou$ love the input copy/pasted from the website