"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.
Winter taking days.
Nights filled with longer hours
...
Winter solstice
passing by us
temperatures dropping
try us
With colder feelings
Black ice and hidden lusts
White sheets of snow concealing
Gloves on hands, with warmer thoughts
With plastic sleds cracking the newly [chouse/inaudible]
Huddling against the walls
Shrinking college trends, with the days living faster now
We cast our make pretend
Extra heat amends
A rising constant power
Darkness taking days
Nights filled with longer hours
...
Gotta jagged gorgeous winter from a summer's thread
All the lies you told about me they were totally totally totally true
Thinking through the noise you go back to bed
With your tinker tinker torch gotta think it think it think it through
...
Drag it out
...
Nights filled with longer hours
...
Winter solstice
passing by us
temperatures dropping
try us
With colder feelings
Black ice and hidden lusts
White sheets of snow concealing
Gloves on hands, with warmer thoughts
With plastic sleds cracking the newly [chouse/inaudible]
Huddling against the walls
Shrinking college trends, with the days living faster now
We cast our make pretend
Extra heat amends
A rising constant power
Darkness taking days
Nights filled with longer hours
...
Gotta jagged gorgeous winter from a summer's thread
All the lies you told about me they were totally totally totally true
Thinking through the noise you go back to bed
With your tinker tinker torch gotta think it think it think it through
...
Drag it out
...
Lyrics submitted by nmacholl
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Great version of a great song,
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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...I think this song is about how winter reflects relationships. Both good and bad.
Firstly, I agree with JackFrost's interpretation
To Syoaran,
Maybe "shrinking college trends, with days living faster now" relates how there used to be so many things to do back in college, but now everyone's busy and doesn't really have as much time as they used to. Trends shrink, and people confine themselves to jobs.. sometimes people don't really take the time to savor the moments around them. Time flies really fast when you don't do much with it.. before you know it, a long time's already past and you've fallen out of touch. I think this song's about cherishing the few moments you do have, hence the hours feeling longer than they actually are.
@samrm before the days of college debt
I respectfully disagree with Orange Morendo--I don't think that anything it wrong. I think that they're looking at all features that are normally associated as negatives as winter as positives. The cold is an excuse to huddle together and the increased darkness just means that the nights they spend together last that much longer. I may be reading this wrong, but I think basically things are romantically heating up between them as it get colder, hence the irony of "try us with colder feelings" leading into hidden lusts.
Heard this song via RB2 and it blew my mind...
Can't believe this song only has one (two) comment(s). It's so amazing. I don't like any of their other songs but this one is just amazing.
I'm not sure what the meaning of this song is. The weather seems to be reflecting the mood, or relationship, between two people. Something is wrong is all I can determine for sure. The days seem more like extended nights. Their thoughts are warm so I guess they're thinking about the problem a lot. I just happened across this song on myspace. It is glorious! Guy before me...their other songs are the shit. This band is solid.
The whole nights filled with longer hours and winter deal...
Haven't yall noticed that our days darken quicker during the winter? I think yall are trying too hard.
Like usually the sun sets at around 8:00 PM in Eastern NC during summer, but during the winter it gets dark as night at 5:00 PM :)
"Huddling against the walls Shrinking college trends, with the days living faster now" thats the only part i dont understand... how can a trend shrink??
i think its about a relationship. this song uses alot of symbolism. if it was just about winter the ending part wouldnt fit in (Gotta jagged gorgeous winter from a summer's thread/All the lies you told about me they were totally totally totally true/Thinking through the noise you go back to bed/With your tinker tinker torch gotta think it think it think it through) i mean seriously it how do lies fit in with winter?? im absolutly sure its about a relationship.
rofl i made a typo i said "it how do lies fit in..." FORGET THE IT
Correction. It should read:
"Thinking through the the noise you go back to bed. With your tinker , tinker toys, gotta think it, think it , think it through"