"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.
There's a still in the street outside your window
And you're keepin' secrets on your pillow
Let me inside, no cause for alarm
I promise tonight not to do no harm
I promise you, babe, I won't be no harm
And we're caught up in the crossfire
Of heaven and hell
And we're searching for shelter
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Watching your dress as you turn down the light (aah, aah)
I forget all about the storm outside (aah, aah)
Dark clouds roll their way over town (aah, aah)
Heartache and pain came a-pouring down like
Like hail, sleet and rain, yeah
They're handing it out
And we're caught up in the crossfire
Of heaven and hell
And were searching for shelter
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came
His fiery arrows drew their beat in vein
And when the hardest part is over we'll be here
And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears
Boundaries of our fears
(Aah aahah aah aahah)
(Aah aahah aahah aaah)
(Aah aahah aah)
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Next to mine
And you're keepin' secrets on your pillow
Let me inside, no cause for alarm
I promise tonight not to do no harm
I promise you, babe, I won't be no harm
And we're caught up in the crossfire
Of heaven and hell
And we're searching for shelter
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Watching your dress as you turn down the light (aah, aah)
I forget all about the storm outside (aah, aah)
Dark clouds roll their way over town (aah, aah)
Heartache and pain came a-pouring down like
Like hail, sleet and rain, yeah
They're handing it out
And we're caught up in the crossfire
Of heaven and hell
And were searching for shelter
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came
His fiery arrows drew their beat in vein
And when the hardest part is over we'll be here
And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears
Boundaries of our fears
(Aah aahah aah aahah)
(Aah aahah aahah aaah)
(Aah aahah aah)
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Lay your body down
Next to mine
Lyrics submitted by Ballashoes, edited by bastillophobic, tomwest96
Crossfire Lyrics as written by Brandon Flowers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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I think you are being too much SUPERFICIAL: let's not forget it's brandon flowers' song we are talking about, knowing his other songs, his way of explaining things and stories, it can be a good help even if it's always tricky to understand the killers' songs.
I DO NOT think he is talking about an affair between married-engaged people. It talks about a COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP. as you may remember, human-incomplete nature and debility it's one of the killers topics. so this relationship between two people who love each other but are not really able to love and are afraid and are infirm and fragil (they keep secrets, they harm each other, still they want to be together), it's a STRUGGLE. life is a CONSTANT FIGHT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, the only thing we can do is look for shelter.
NOTICE that as in many other songs (all these things that i've done, for example) it comes the time when the "good" wins the fight, the victory against evil. and this doesn't happen because of human or how much we try (in fact, it seems the only thing to do is look for shelter and lay down, he is deceived and afraid) but it happens because of SOMETHING GREATER, much bigger, that breaks even the boundaries of the fears of these poor people. THIS IS CALLED REDEMPTION. I am not talking about any religion concretely, but the concept of redemption is this.
so, to put it in short words:
I believe this is exactly right. It is not about an affair or an abusive relationship - it is simply about being human and, more specifically, about love. <br /> <br /> You can expand the metaphor of heaven and hell by saying that we are constantly in the crossfire as humans, like you said, and that our only shelter from the crossfire is love. (Keeping away from the idea of love as God, or religion in general - though it could go there.) Through love we are each other's shelter in the daily battle of good and evil in our lives. He says "lay your body down" throughout the song - and it doesn't make total sense as to what he means until the end when he closes the line by saying "next to mine."<br /> <br /> it's beautiful. A love song for the ages.
Just like you, I never saw the affair theme everyone else talks about, let alone the gay theme (thats sometimes present in The Killers songs). Instead, it stroke a chord in me, its all about crossing limits, conquering your fears, acknoledging youre in this together - it takes two to defeat all evil - you and God, or you and a loved one. The video speaks for itself, and helps you understand the song.<br /> This part:<br /> Lay your body down<br /> Next to mine<br /> I personally think its about a great, deep sleep (or relaxation), after youve defeated everything thats evil in your life, when you know you can lay next to the person you love and nothing bad will happen ever again.
thanks toutlebon that's what i was talking about!<br /> <br /> andleia you have some interesting points there too..
Well.. i feel very identified with this song, and I think it's about a very hard relationship, ex boyfriend/girlfriend still in love, but they can't be together because they are or external factors.. but they still miss each other..and they might be together sometimes.. well, this is how I feel it in my own experience..
There's a still in the street outside your window You're keeping secrets on your pillow Let me inside, no cause for alarm I promise tonight not to do no harm Yeah I promise you babe, I won't do you no harm
Here after a break up, or a fight.. it's like, I know you are sad, it seems like the world outside stopped, but you think about me, you're there in your room thinkin' about it.. you still miss me, but you won't say it, it's just between you and your pillow.. Please let me see you, i know i hurt you, but let's talk about it..I just wanna be with you, I'm sorry I, I won't hurt you again..
And we're caught up in the crossfire Of heaven and hell And we're searching for shelter Lay your body down Lay your body down Lay your body down
This is how we feel, in the crossfire of heaven and hell..of how much we still love each other but it hurts, we don't know what to do, get back..or stay away.. maybe they still see each other as friends, but there's the need of having her body close, a hug, lay together..
Watching you dress as you turn down the lights I forget all about the storm outside Dark clouds roll their way over town Heartache and pain came a-pouring down Like hail, sleet and rain, they're handing it out
This is a very obvious sexual part, when they are together that way.. and you see the person you love gettin' dressed after having sex.. it's perfect, and they forget all the problems of their relationship, and the people outside that maybe don't want them together either.
We're caught up in the crossfire Of heaven and hell And we're searching for shelter Lay your body down Lay your body down Lay your body down
Lay your body down Lay your body down Lay your body down
Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came His fiery arrows drew their bead in vein And when the hardest part is over we'll be here And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fear The boundaries of our fear
Here is like.. come back to me!, forget all the bad, and don't listen to the ones that say we shouldn't be together.. don't be afraid, let's get back and do what we used to dream..together.Lay your body down
Lay your body down Lay your body down
Next to mine
this is obvious... i need you with me,, here by my side
I like your interpretation of these lyrics. You seem to be missing someone yourself. It seems like you've been separated from your girlfriend. If you don't mind me asking, what's separated you from being with your girlfriend? <br /> I had myself a heart-breaking experience. I'm a Mormon and was so in love with a guy, but we couldn't be together, because we both came from different backgrounds. I can't have sexual relations before marriage... and he wanted to get with me and couldn't understand my principles...I wanted us to get married. I so wanted him! We broke up last year, it was so heart-breaking, it still is!! I know it may sound stupid to many, but that's hard for strong Christians who fall in love with people of the world.<br /> I love this song, BF was definitely inspired to write it!
Your story is sad adaleen2010, but you don't know what is ahead of you. You stood firm for what you believed, and I think it takes a lot of courage and strength what you did. If you both broke up because he would not respect that you could not have sexual relations before marriage, then he did not love you. I think you did the right thing, especially if you have let him know you wanted to get married. Someone who loves you, will want to respect your purity and admire it. You should not have to feel bad for your standards.
yeah.. well, this girl..used to be my best friend since we were kids.. we were so close that we ended up having a relationship, but it was hard.. we didn't know how to handle it, her parents don't trust me because I had something with my ex' sister (many many years ago)...sometimes we felt that something was missing, that we were like same best friends.. i was a very jealous of the way she treated other men, she was very jealous too... we fought a lot, so we decided to break up after 7 months...<br /> <br /> i started to miss her a lot... but someone got in the middle, made me jealous.. she swore that it was nothing, but we fought.. we said really hurting things, we stopped talking to each other.. we talked again..i begged her to get back, she didn't want to..<br /> we fought again.. stopped talking again..<br /> then a friend told me that her mom was very worried about her..because she was very in love with me, but that she told her that i was not good for her..<br /> <br /> we are talking again... but she doesn't want to see me, i know she misses me but i think that she knows that if we meet again we're gonna have something again.. and she is afraid of having drama again.. i guess she doesn't want to lose me as a friend, she never talks about her feelings, but we talk on the phone about how was our day, texting, messenger all day, the whole week ..<br /> she's my best friend, and i love her.. i wanna marry her.. but she doesn't let me in, she won't talk to me about it..
I think there is a great hope there Nassar32, because you both love each other, and you are still friends! I think it is very hopeful that you are best friends. <br /> Maybe you need to be a little more patient and not push the relationship but work on building trust again with her and maybe with the family? <br /> You too need both to learn to trust each other and not let jealousy in, and stop fighting. Easy said than done, of course, but you both need to forgive each other, and start again and not hurt each other. <br /> Take it slowly, don't push it, be a good friend to her. Rebuild the trust and she will come round. Make sure you both communicate well, and maybe for now, do not make her feel you want to get back with her. I am sure it is hard, but the love is there, so you have nothing to worry about. If you both still feel so strong about each other, then you are meant to be together. <br /> If after your efforts, the family still disagrees, you will both have to make a decision. I am very much for families, but when it comes to marriage, the family should not make the decision. I know many happy couples who had to back off from their families because they would not agree about their marriage. What matters is your happiness. Parents mean well, but they are not always right. <br /> Hey, keep the hope!!! To me, it is looking good! X
There's a nice video on youtube you can watch, it's really simple, yet really powerful. It's a message on love. It's called, mormon messages: How do I love thee? There's a sentence that really stuck with me: Assume the good and doubt the bad. Enjoy! X
Interesting thoughts so far by everyone. Kudos to "luciuss" on pointing out the recurring themes that are present in both this solo effort and in what The Killers have done in the past. I, too, think this is about a relationship where one party is saved, so to speak. So many times, we hear the stories of the knight in shining armor coming in and saving the damsel in distress; but why can't it be a dude in distress being saved by his dame in shining armor? That's what I see here: a girl who is stronger than her male, and both being okay with that.
@iceman4785 I agree with your analysis. But you're being quite heteronormative. You're saying "why can't there be a dame saving the knight?". I'm replying - why must there be a dame and a knight? ❤️
@iceman4785 (I did not mean to write three "?". I wrote emojis with a heart and a rainbow ;)
@louisetide - yeah, i see what you're saying. heteronormative or not, flowers's video does indeed have a man and a woman (flowers himself and charlize theron). i can only assume that my interpretation was based on that :)<br /> <br /> that said, you're right.
I think lavendersky is right. Its about good/evil, devil/god, us/them. I also believe its about a relationship but between Jesus (or Joseph Smith or whomever) and this girl (in the dress). Brandon Flowers crucified pose in the video also support this. "And when the hardest part is over we'll be here And our dreams will break the boundries of our fear"; this part i read as: well be the winners of this war (of god/devil), and our dreams (religious beliefs) will break the boundaries of our fears ( doubt). I read it this way because Brandon Flowers is a member of the LDS church. Im an atheist, and think the song is meaningful for anyone, were all fighting our battles, even if were not religious.
Mkay I got something quite different, from the get go. I think this could work with Brandon Flower's previous songs because we all have heard by now he doesn't take sleeping around lightly ('Mr. Brightside', 'Joyride', 'I Can't Stay' to name a few...not to mention all the other depressed hooker and stripper songs they do)
Sure, it's about a couple...I got the gist that the conflict was the purity of the relationship. Like they're trying to maintain a relationship without sex but it's really hard and they find themselves compromising emotional/spiritual values.
"Let me inside, no cause for alarm." They're going to have a date night at her house and they're going to keep it casual and fun.
"I promise tonight not to do no harm. Yeah, I promise you, babe." They're putting themselves in compromising situations, but they assume they'll keep it in check.
"We're caught up in the crossfire of Heaven and Hell" Apparently they're not as in control as they thought they'd be. Fairly obvious to me. Heaven is the beauty of the relationship, not wanting to spoil it with sex too early, loving each other, ethics, purity, etc. While Hell is the opposite-giving in to what they want at the moment even though it might not be good for the relationship in the long run. Plus, assuming they're not married could bring a new layer of moral chaos.
"We're searching for shelter" I take this line as in they are well intentioned, they're in it together-but they're having a hard time doing what they feel is right.
"Lay your body down." Whatever 'lay your body down' physically implies, it is the victory of one side. Laying down could be sex, in which 'Hell' won, or it could be snuggling cutely. Aka Heaven won.
Let's assume that chorus meant Heaven won, considering the next verse is pretty dang confident.
"Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came His fiery arrows drew their bead in vein And when the hardest part is over we'll be here"
I take it as they made it through the night without having sex even though he came over late at night and it was chancey ("the hardest part is over"). But they beat the devil and he can go to Hell for all they care because they're in it to win it. ("We're still here.")
"And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fear."
That's a really powerful line, no matter what the song directly means. In this context, it couuld mean that they're more determined than ever to do the relationship the right way. No matter what their fears are of themselves and their physical relationship. Their 'dream' of having a pure relationship is worth it.
Anwho. Just my first impression when I heard the line 'I won't do any harm tonight' and then later the Heaven and Hell concept along with the entire comaradery he feels with this girl seems to add up to me. I really love this song--keep it going, Brandon.
Thoughts?
*Read through a few of these a bit more carefully and nevermind-I guess I'm not the only one who got that picture either =]
yeah! that's pretty much how i see this song :)
I agree that its about a couple wanting to keep their relationship pure, but it gets hard as temptation is a constant battle. <br /> <br /> "And we're caught up in the crossfire of Heaven and Hell, <br /> and we're searching for shelter" I think implies that they know they can't handle this so they are maybe asking God's shelter and he is telling them to lay their bodies down, meaning forget about their worldly needs and desires. <br /> <br /> This is what keeps them grounded, and at the end of the song he is reminding her of this, to lay her body down next to him, implying that he's forgetting about his desires and also reinforcing the image that their not having sex, but just laying next to each other.<br /> <br /> I would like to add that the lyrics 'watching you dress as you turn down the light" says to me that she didn't 'undress' and thus didn't give in to their desires. It would be difficult to portray that image if he only said "lay your body down"<br /> <br /> <br />
I'm a Mormon too as BF, and I try not to interprete all his songs in a religious way, because not all BF's fans are Christians. I'm sure he writes songs for everybody. I like all the different comments from everyone. It's nice to read how different people feel about a song, and how they interpret it. Every interpretation is special. That's the beauty of art.
the song is great...
I agree with lavendersky and Erdis, more like spiritual meanings. Nice one babyboyblue too! I have 2 friends who are of the same religion as Flowers and his lyrics are typically about his beliefs: spiritual wars between good and evil... fiery arrows is often used in the mormon beliefs, as the attacks of Lucifer/ trials... also used as fiery darts of the adversary in the mormons scriptures. If Flowers' a faithful Mormon then he ain't talking about affairs. He could be talking about the saviour helping his Saints in the battle, or talking about a friend who's spiritually on your side in the battle. Anyone can interprete it as they want I suppose, that is the beauty of art and music.
Apparently we can't edit our comments. Grrr.
So, I listened again today and I'm all but positive that "Watching you dress as you turn down the light" is "Watching YOUR dress..." It is a more sexual verse, she's now let him in, he's watching her silhouette as she dims the lights then of course he forgets all about the world outside. It is consistent with the sexually suggestive repeat of "Lay your body down" and the final "Next to mine." He's seeking not just the calming retreat of her home, but of her bed as well.
I love this song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a new one I love too at the moment, only the young, the video is awesome!
Being a Mormon, I can't really see a spiritual meaning to Crossfire song, although he has quite a lot of spiritual songs in the Flamingo album. This song is more about a relationship striving to get there despite a complicated situation they're in. Could even be someone from the Mormon faith with someone from a complete different field and how complicated it is for both, yet their love is strong? Often the 2 opposite worlds attract each other greatly and sometimes intrigue each other. I always heard that opposites attract, and there Flowers seems to put it nicely into a song. I even admitt we, Mormons are completely different from this world.
Me too, I love only the young's video, Brandon is sooooooooooo handsome and stylish!!!<br /> jplook1, am not religious at all, but I love the mormons I know!! I think what makes others say that your' from another planet, is because your' just incredible! I have friends who are mormons and theyre so lovely! I envy their innocence and moral cleanliness if that makes sense. I wish I were more like you guys. <br /> Funny enough, Brandon has this lovely feeling about him that Mormons carry, there's a light about them, not sure what it is, can you anwwer that one for me? <br /> I could always guess who the Mormons were at school from all the other ones, just at their countenance. I swear I always could tell!!
The last sentence in your comment made me giggle a little. We are different aren't we? :P