"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.
This is a story of burning bridges
and allowing time to pass
this is a story of forgiveness
and breaking things in my hands
this is a story of understanding
you can't choose who you love
and this is a story of soft skin
and rats in the walls
well you can't just pass along
the pain that comes around
you'll go dizzy until you fall
and I know you didn't mean to let me down
but you let me down so hard
this is a story of loaded glances
and leaning in too far
this is a story of vague advances
and confessions in smoky bars
so now I am walking down the sidewalk
and I am singing to myself
and I'm going to leave it all behind me now
'cause I don't need this,
I just don't need this
and you can't...
these memories are talking and talking
and I'll do anything to shut 'em up
I've got the pillow over my head
but they won't stop
no, no they won't stop
some fantasies are never meant to be
realized at all
and some regrets could be prevented
if you read the writing on the wall
oh and sometimes you say "you know nothing can happen"
and then she leans over and lifts off your glasses
and the next thing you know you're just tangled and guilty
and you've got a head full of liquor and perfume
oh and when did you leave me
and when did you find her
and tell me is this just what you wanted...
and allowing time to pass
this is a story of forgiveness
and breaking things in my hands
this is a story of understanding
you can't choose who you love
and this is a story of soft skin
and rats in the walls
well you can't just pass along
the pain that comes around
you'll go dizzy until you fall
and I know you didn't mean to let me down
but you let me down so hard
this is a story of loaded glances
and leaning in too far
this is a story of vague advances
and confessions in smoky bars
so now I am walking down the sidewalk
and I am singing to myself
and I'm going to leave it all behind me now
'cause I don't need this,
I just don't need this
and you can't...
these memories are talking and talking
and I'll do anything to shut 'em up
I've got the pillow over my head
but they won't stop
no, no they won't stop
some fantasies are never meant to be
realized at all
and some regrets could be prevented
if you read the writing on the wall
oh and sometimes you say "you know nothing can happen"
and then she leans over and lifts off your glasses
and the next thing you know you're just tangled and guilty
and you've got a head full of liquor and perfume
oh and when did you leave me
and when did you find her
and tell me is this just what you wanted...
Lyrics submitted by aisa
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Fast Car
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"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."
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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,
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First song I heard of Pureka's, and it just grabbed my heart and tugged. Truly beautiful. I can listen to it over and over.
I can see two scenarios for this song...
Scenario A. This is about the narrator sleeping with someone who was in a relationship and then regretting it. She's since had to "burn that bridge" with the person. It was someone who she'd liked for a long time ("you can't choose who you love" - "some fantasies are never meant to be") who came on to her in a bar ("confessions in smoky bars"); they hooked up ("next thing you know you're just tangled and guilty") and now "these memories are talking and talking and I'll do anything to shut 'em up."
The lines "I know you didn't mean to let me down/but you let me down so hard" make me think that the narrator thought the person was going to leave her partner for the narrator, but didn't... also hence the ending: "oh and when did you leave me/and when did you find her/and tell me is this just what you wanted..." The "rats in the walls" is the affair. The bridge makes it sound like the person then blamed the narrator for the affair "well you can't just pass along/the pain that comes around" and went back to who she was with before. Although, "this is a story of forgiveness" so maybe the narrator has forgiven herself in the end.
Scenario B. This is about the narrator's sig. other cheating on her with someone else, and her sig. other has come and told her this story. This makes the "story of forgiveness" line mean she's forgiving the affair (perhaps after "burning bridges and allowing time to pass," afterwards she's "understanding/you can't choose who you love"). Then all the "memories" that "are talking and talking" are her imagining the scenario of her sig. other sleeping with this other woman, and it's her sig. other saying "you know nothing can happen" but still succumbing to being seduced by the other woman with "loaded glances ... vague advances ... in smoky bars." Hence "I know you didn't mean to let me down/but you let me down so hard." and also "oh and when did you leave me/and when did you find her/and tell me is this just what you wanted..." which would be the narrator talking to her sig. other. The affair is still "the rats in the walls."
Neither makes perfect sense... any other ideas?
Allow me to gush. If you desire interpretation read no further.
I love to relate to song writers. This song is full of imagery that's important to me.
this is a story about loving and learning. you can't just pass the pain along. and sometimes you say "you know nothing can happen". this takes us all a few tries to figure this stuff out.
And this:
this is a story of loaded glances and leaning in too far this is a story of vague advances and confessions in smoky bars
this verse is so amazing
guys, please help me with the meaning of "rats in the walls"! (english is not my native language and i've never met this before)OR is it a reference to H.P. Lovercraft's story of the same name? thanx!
Originally I thought it was a song about unrequited love in general... probably because the words resonated so strongly with my own situation. But looking closely, Pureka is quite clear about the "story" she describes in the last verse. So I will jump to that part first - it's what's causing her the pain.
Her lover fell for another woman. The lover probably thought she was just going to be friends with this other woman, but "you can't choose who you love" - and things just happened. She's guilty because she does love Pureka, but she was weakened by "liquor" and the headiness of her attraction ("perfume").
So now Pureka is super depressed because it's a bad situation. She understands it's not her lover's fault, that she didn't mean to "let me down"... but it still hurts like hell. Pureka needs to get away from everything, burn the bridges, "allowing time to pass", and eventually forgive. But it hurts! Pureka is very bitter about it, asking "is this just what you wanted?" and breaks "things in my hand". It's a sad testament to how hard it is to reconcile feelings with logic... understanding with emotion.