"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.
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
You're sick of feeling numb
You're not the only one
I'll take you by the hand
And I'll show you a world that you can understand
This life is filled with hurt
When happiness doesn't work
Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out, you'll understand
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Anger and agony are better than misery
Trust me, I've got a plan
When the lights go up, you'll understand
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain, without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing
Rather feel pain
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
That you're wounded
You know, you know, you know, you know
That I'm here to save you
You know, you know, you know, you know
I'm always here for you
I know, I know, I know, I know
That you'll thank me later
Pain without love
Pain, can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Rather feel pain than nothing at all
Rather feel pain
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
You're sick of feeling numb
You're not the only one
I'll take you by the hand
And I'll show you a world that you can understand
This life is filled with hurt
When happiness doesn't work
Trust me and take my hand
When the lights go out, you'll understand
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Anger and agony are better than misery
Trust me, I've got a plan
When the lights go up, you'll understand
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain, without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing
Rather feel pain
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
That you're wounded
You know, you know, you know, you know
That I'm here to save you
You know, you know, you know, you know
I'm always here for you
I know, I know, I know, I know
That you'll thank me later
Pain without love
Pain, can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Pain without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
Rather feel pain than nothing at all
Rather feel pain
Lyrics submitted by Aussiestevo
Pain Lyrics as written by Barry Stock Adam Gontier
Lyrics © Freibank Musikverlags und vermarktungs GmbH, HYVETOWN MUSIC INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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.
lmao it isn't about sex! but I can understand why some of you would think so.
they were interviewing Adam not so long ago and he was saying that this song is about being numb to everything around you. like when something bad happens, or when he gets hurt he would feel nothing. He wouldn't feel any pain at all. So in the song he's saying he'd rather feel the hurt, and rather feel the pain than not feel nothing at all. So rather than being numb, he'd prefer the pain because he's at least feeling something.
Guys, this is retarded. The song is NOT about self-mutilation or pain of life. Adam Gontier was addicted to OxyContin. Not only this song but the entire album is about his rehab.
It's All Over - Him probably overdosing and realizing "Oh, shit...This shit's gonna kill me quickly." "And now your dead inside....When your on the edge and falling off
Pain - This is talking about his Rehab, told from one of the doctors or assistants. "You're sick of feeling numb/You're not the only one/I'll take you by the hand/And I'll show you a world that you can understand" He doesn't like feeling numb to the world and the narrator is NOT Gontier but one of the Rehab assistants talking to Adam (You) "This life is filled with hurt/When happiness doesn't work/Trust me and take my hand/When the lights go out you will understand" again, this is the assistant talking to Adam "I know, I know that you're wounded/You know, you know that I'm here to save you/You know, you know I'm always here for you/I know, I know that you'll thank me later" Even though Adam's struggling fighting off the addiction, the assistant's helping and consolodating him for a better future.
Animal I Have Become - This is kinda a lead into Never Too Late. Adam's thinking that his addiction has made him an animal
Never Too Late - This is about how he was feeling almost suicidal and the rehab assistants helping with his depression
On My Own - Talking about a lover that Adam was with before he got into Rehab and how she felt about his addiction and she eventually kicked him out because of it and he's got nowhere to call "Home"
Riot - simply a metaphore for protesting against the negative things in life, such as drug addiction
Get Out Alive - fading away is pretty much the personality fading away when high and instead of killing the pain of it with more drugs, to run from the drugs and get out of the addiction ALIVE
Let It Die - Life before the drug
Over and Over - How the drug drags you down and the supposed "Lover" in the story is the drug "I fall for you"
Time of Dying - OxyCotin addiction and pushing it away
Gone Forever - post addiction and post rehab "I feel so much better now that your gone forever"
One X - those who rose above and beat addiction and pretty much an anthem and reason for other people who are going to rehab and those who successfully completed rehab.
Seriously? Cuz I just spent a good hour reading a ton of comments on another site and responding as to what I thought - you know, in my infinite wisdom - cough..... I am trying to apply what you have said here to the lyrics of Pain.<br /> <br /> It's so blatantly (in my mind) referring to BDSM - as was argued on the other page.... WOW! I like your comment and will most certainly contemplate that more... I did read Adam's comments on it I guess........... I'm just sorta smh at the moment. ANYway............ goin to bed - it's goin on midnight. Thanks again for your insight!<br /> <br /> Why are you flagged???
@BFMVfan965 That's exactly it. Sometimes you have to look beyond and find out who's the person behind the lyrics. This is their best album in my opinion, 'cause the previous one -when he still hadn't gone to rehab- perfectly reflected the old Gontier... and it was so dark (that's the word that comes to my mind lol).
@BFMVfan965 I agree with you. And thank you for adding meaning to other songs in One X according to your take on "Pain". Makes things a lot clearer. :)
@DLyn - then your "infinite wisdom" is more than a little stupid.
@BFMVfan965 Even though I can agree with what you said for every song, the only one that you got a little bit wrong was Never Too Late. There was a podcast where Adam explained that the song Never Too Late was written for one of his closest friends, because his friend was saying that he couldn't find a reason to live & having thoughts about depression. So, Adam made this song for his friend to tell him that its "Not Too Late, It's Never Too Late." This means that you can still stop your choices before its too late for good.
It's not emo. I really like this song, and I'm glad it's coming out as a single... I think one of the great things about TDG's music is that it can be interpreted in a variety of ways. I can definately see how this song can be interpreted to be about self-harm. "'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all"
I agree with you but I think it could be that he's been pushed aside for so long that he can't feel anything anymore so by feeling pain he feels real again.<br /> Or something like that.
"it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all" as the saying goes. This song is about that saying and one of the band members experience with a break-up or something like that.
Hey dude, ur totally right.. anyone who disses this comment must be a dumbass
I reckon this song is about, depression, how anti-depressants make you feel numb.. And artificial. The tablets are trying to make you.. Happy. I guess. But it's not working, and feeling numb is worse than pain. Trust me.
Final Fantasy VIII Character Squall???? And you are making fun of things? wow
i think this song is talking about emotional pain. it sounds from the song that he was in a constant state of depression for awhile. i know that when im depressed for awhile i start hurting too much inside to care. it becomes normal and i like the pain of feeling depressed. i think thats where he was when he wrote this song. i mean if the albums is supposed to get acrss the emotions for being on tour for a long time and not knowing anyone outside of the tour bus, then i would get pretty depressed myself. i would think he would too.
Emo doesn't mean depressed, so quit calling this song emo. This song isn't about sex and it isn't directly related to self injury. In this song they were talking about how you can feel so alone while you're surrounded by a bunch of people. It's about no one understanding you and they are saying that they would rather feel pain than be completely numb and emotionless.
People, it's about an emotional abyss.
Let's look at it: Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
This isn't about self harming or anything sexual. It's about the stage of feelings that occur between "nothing" and unconditional love. It's about seeking the relationship, not being able to find it and getting the "rub". The "rub" being the BS that happens time and time again. You get used to it, unfortunately. The writer would rather 'feel pain than nothing at all' because pain it what he is used to. Take one out of the rhelm of familierality and you have the unknown....which is what most people fear.....including the writer as the song is written. Couple that with not being willing to commit to anything more then what you are used to: you like it....without love. You like it....you can't get enough, you're used to it. You like it.....rough, because it hurts.....but at the samne time you aren't overly committed. (it's BS...the 'rub')
you're sick of feeling numb You're not the only one I'll take you by the hand And I'll show you a world that you can understand This life is filled with hurt When happiness doesn't work Trust me and take my hand When the lights go out you will understand
This verse essentially means....."You think you got it bad....I'll take you and show you."
Anger and agony Are better than misery Trust me I've got a plan When the lights go off you will understand
This verse is actually genius. The state of misery is basically caused by a lack of caring, lack of emotional fortitude and a lack of willpower. The penner is basically saying that he wants it, is able to be in it and understands the fact of hurting and feeling pain means that his emotional state is in tact......because if he felt misery his emotional stock would be expired. (Of course, the "rub", which seems to be the theme, of the song being that he will not commit to it)
I know (I know I know I know I know) That you're wounded You know (You know you know you know) That I'm here to save you You know (You know you know you know you know) I'm always here for you I know (I know I know I know) That you'll thank me later
This isn't about a current relationship. It's basically two strangers who have been through the same "rub", time and time again. The guy is singing to the girl. Guys have a primative instinct to be protectors, ask any of us. This is the guy saying, trust me....I'll protect you....(I'm opening up).
Thanks<br />
And agentcrusher99, just because he is happily married, doesn't mean he couldn't have felt this way before. And maybe he wrote this song so people could relate to it. Maybe he didn't even go through the experience. And i saw his interview about the background of the song. So YOU don't know anything.