"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.
Losing my head to Hollywood
My liver to London
My youth to Tokyo
Still on with the show
On, on, on
On, on, on
It's a hard lesson
But let me learn
L.A.
Big wheels
Turn, turn
All your
Forest fires
Burn
And all my dead
Meat yearns
For the vulture's
Return
Take this
D-d-d-d-d-dead meat
My d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Your d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Coming down
Down in Santa Monica
Suicide Motel
One date with the devil
Seven days in hell
Mother don't worry
I say the boy is doing fine
Home in a hurry
And be sane with good
T-t-t-t-time
Time
Hard
Lessons
But let me learn
L.A.
Big wheels
Turn, turn
And all your
Forest fires
Burn
And all my dead
Meat yearns
For the vulture's
Return
Take my
D-d-d-d-d-dead meat
My d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Your d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
D-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Come on down
Dead meat
Vulture
My liver to London
My youth to Tokyo
Still on with the show
On, on, on
On, on, on
It's a hard lesson
But let me learn
L.A.
Big wheels
Turn, turn
All your
Forest fires
Burn
And all my dead
Meat yearns
For the vulture's
Return
Take this
D-d-d-d-d-dead meat
My d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Your d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Coming down
Down in Santa Monica
Suicide Motel
One date with the devil
Seven days in hell
Mother don't worry
I say the boy is doing fine
Home in a hurry
And be sane with good
T-t-t-t-time
Time
Hard
Lessons
But let me learn
L.A.
Big wheels
Turn, turn
And all your
Forest fires
Burn
And all my dead
Meat yearns
For the vulture's
Return
Take my
D-d-d-d-d-dead meat
My d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Your d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
D-d-d-d-d-dead meat
Come on down
Dead meat
Vulture
Lyrics submitted by playedinstereo
Vulture Lyrics as written by Patrick Wolf Alexander Wilke
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Watching the video makes it seem pretty obvious...
"losing my head to hollywood my liver to london my youth to tokyo still on with the show
on and on and on on"
On tour, PW he went through depression and everywhere he went he felt less and less whole but he was still required to play.
"it's a hard lesson but let me learn..."
S&M big time. He's basically asking for punishment :-P
"and the big wheels turn, turn all your forest fires burn and all my dead meat yearns for the vulture's return
take this d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat my d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat your d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat my d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
coming down vulture coming down down down down"
Again S&M but great use of imagery!
"down in santa monica suicide motel one date with the devil (satan) seven days in hell but mother don't worry i said the boy is doing fine home in a hurry i'll be sane with good time"
While on tour PW did experiment with satanic sex acts. This lyric is referencing to one particular occassion in Santa Monica where he temporarily was "demonized" for 7 days. He calms himself down by telling his own mother he's fine and will be sane soon.
Patrick is amazing! This song proves his amazing ability to experiment with all themes of lyrics and music.
Watching the video makes it seem pretty obvious...
"losing my head to hollywood my liver to london my youth to tokyo still on with the show
on and on and on on"
On tour, PW he went through depression and everywhere he went he felt less and less whole but he was still required to play.
"it's a hard lesson but let me learn..."
S&M big time. He's basically asking for punishment :-P
"and the big wheels turn, turn all your forest fires burn and all my dead meat yearns for the vulture's return
take this d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat my d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat your d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat my d-d-d-d-d-d-dead meat
coming down vulture coming down down down down"
Again S&M but great use of imagery!
"down in santa monica suicide motel one date with the devil (satan) seven days in hell but mother don't worry i said the boy is doing fine home in a hurry i'll be sane with good time"
While on tour PW did experiment with satanic sex acts. This lyric is referencing to one particular occassion in Santa Monica where he temporarily was "demonized" for 7 days. He calms himself down by telling his own mother he's fine and will be sane soon.
Patrick is amazing! This song proves his amazing ability to experiment with all themes of lyrics and music.
Don't know why it posted twice... I only pressed add comment once
Aaah my heavens.
This song is amazing. The video was ... stunning.
yay for this song and battle He came into crowd for these two :D Grabbed my hand during Battle amaze!
it clearly is about some sex experiences he made in l.a. during his tour in the u.s.
in an interview patrick wolf said "vulture collaburation between me and alec empire, alec send some beats and some synth noises. it was triggering this experience i had in l.a." before he ended up in this strange experience he "reached an american version of the all time low i was experiencing in london" before "and again like the moment the song was finished … i could just totally close that book - that time of my life"
his answer to the question what he learned from this experience in l.a. "if you gonna sleep with dogs you gonna have flees — be careful who you end up in bed, kids"
btw first the video seems to be really provocing but when i watched a few times i began to like it. it fits the song
I thought that this was just generally about how whilst touring he was pretty wrecked and that the vulture(s) were people who wanted something for him. Satanic sex acts eh? Wow, I think that's weird on the basis that Patrick isn't at all religious. Still whatever floats his boat.