"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.
I got a freeway in mind,
Let go of my head,
Walk down my line,
Better be sure you'll be dead,
I got a trumpet,
I know where to dump it,
I'm glad that you came,
If the sound is the same.
Sometimes my reckless ways,
Shock my self system for days,
Now i'm channelling my faze,
In an anacin haze,
But it aint gonna do me in,
I know when to dump it,
A hole in my way again,
I'll surely just jump it.
There was a kid in a tree,
Among the birds and the bees,
Between bee hive and bird nest,
And i think you know the rest,
He wanted to be free with them,
But they weren't believing,
Pecking and stinging him,
Till he wasn't breathing,
But it ain't gonna do him in,
He'll just go to heaven,
Not done just a dreamer of ten or eleven.
I've got a freeway in mind,
Let go of my head,
Walk down my line,
Better be sure you'll be dead,
I got a trumpet,
I know where to dump it.
Let go of my head,
Walk down my line,
Better be sure you'll be dead,
I got a trumpet,
I know where to dump it,
I'm glad that you came,
If the sound is the same.
Sometimes my reckless ways,
Shock my self system for days,
Now i'm channelling my faze,
In an anacin haze,
But it aint gonna do me in,
I know when to dump it,
A hole in my way again,
I'll surely just jump it.
There was a kid in a tree,
Among the birds and the bees,
Between bee hive and bird nest,
And i think you know the rest,
He wanted to be free with them,
But they weren't believing,
Pecking and stinging him,
Till he wasn't breathing,
But it ain't gonna do him in,
He'll just go to heaven,
Not done just a dreamer of ten or eleven.
I've got a freeway in mind,
Let go of my head,
Walk down my line,
Better be sure you'll be dead,
I got a trumpet,
I know where to dump it.
Lyrics submitted by lauracooke
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It’s probably about drugs, a common theme in Vile’s songs, and in a lot of classic rock that Vile seems to be inspired by. The second verse definitely seems to be about drug addiction. Possibly the third verse is an allegory for drug addiction as well. In the second verse, “know when to dump it” seems to refer to kicking a drug habit. So that leaves us with the catchy but confusing rhyme of “trumpet” and “dump it”. A possible touchpoint is that Vile as a kid played trumpet for a while in his school jazz band. And what “freeway” is he referring to? It’s unclear to me. Many of Vile’s lyrics are stream-of-consciousness, evoking moods and mental images and providing nice rhythmic patterns. But most of his songs seem to struggle to form coherent messages. He has admitted in interviews that he was born with attention deficit disorder. The puzzles of his lyrics will always be pleasantly mysterious.
The only thing I really don't get is the trumpet line. I can't tell if he's talking about a physical trumpet or making a trumpet-like cry.
He's saying he has a freeway mind as in his thoughts are racing. The trumpet line I believe refers to a car horn.
I think it could be anacin haze. Anacin is aspirin and caffeine
maybe the trumpet is a metaphor like tooting your horn. "i got a trumpet" meaning, i got things to brag about. and "i know where to dump it" meaning i know when i should stop bragging. i guess that doesn't really fit with the song very well. i was hoping there would be more ideas about it here, because it's an interesting lyric. :)
The trumpet is a biblical reference kids... <br /> Trumpets (shofars) were used when someone <br /> Was arriving or leaving
beefsoupplease's explanation makes way more sense. Thanks though, Dfovero, for being really patronizing without offering any real explanation as to what actually makes that a biblical reference, or how the biblical reference ties into the rest of the song, kid.