"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.
Miss Jones taught me English
But I think I just shot her son
Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it but man you should've seen it
His flesh explode
Slow motion see me let go
We tend to die young
Slow motion see me let go
What a brother knows
Slow motion see me let go
Now the cops will get me
But girl if you would let me
I'll take your pants off
I got a little bit of blow we could both get off
Later bathing in the afterglow
Two lines of Coke I cut with Draino
An her nose starts to bleed
A most beautiful ruby red
Slow motion see me let go
We'll remember these days
Slow motion see me let go
Urban life decays
Slow motion see me let go
And at home
My sister's eating paint chips again
Maybe that's why she's insane
I shut the door to her moaning
And I shoot smack in my veins
Wouldn't you?
See my neighbor's beating his wife
Because he hates his life
There's an arc to his fist as he swings
Oh man, what a beautiful thing
And death slides close to me
Won't grow old to be
A junkie wine-o creep
Hollywood glamorized my wrath
I'm the young urban psychopath
I incite murder
For your entertainment
'Cause I needed the money
What's your excuse?
The jokes on you
Slow motion see me let go
Slow motion see me let go
Slow motion see me let go
But I think I just shot her son
Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it but man you should've seen it
His flesh explode
Slow motion see me let go
We tend to die young
Slow motion see me let go
What a brother knows
Slow motion see me let go
Now the cops will get me
But girl if you would let me
I'll take your pants off
I got a little bit of blow we could both get off
Later bathing in the afterglow
Two lines of Coke I cut with Draino
An her nose starts to bleed
A most beautiful ruby red
Slow motion see me let go
We'll remember these days
Slow motion see me let go
Urban life decays
Slow motion see me let go
And at home
My sister's eating paint chips again
Maybe that's why she's insane
I shut the door to her moaning
And I shoot smack in my veins
Wouldn't you?
See my neighbor's beating his wife
Because he hates his life
There's an arc to his fist as he swings
Oh man, what a beautiful thing
And death slides close to me
Won't grow old to be
A junkie wine-o creep
Hollywood glamorized my wrath
I'm the young urban psychopath
I incite murder
For your entertainment
'Cause I needed the money
What's your excuse?
The jokes on you
Slow motion see me let go
Slow motion see me let go
Slow motion see me let go
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
Slow Motion Lyrics as written by Stephan Jenkins
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, EMI Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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i think this song would go over great at a high school dance.
i love this song, its so depressing, yet beautiful.
This is one of the best song I've EVER heard. So much talent within the piece and surpirsingly only one composer. Simply amazing.
if you listen to this song, it sounds like it's a beautiful song. if sounds seductive almost, like a love song even. actually, the first time i heard it and didn't listen to the lyrics, i told my friend it was gorgeous and she had to DL it. well, she came back to me and told me i was sick; had i heard the lyrics? so i listened. i think the irony of the song is what makes it so powerful. on the surface it is so seductive, you can't stop listening to it, yet the lyrics are aobut such horrible, graphic, terrible things. but we STILL LISTEN TO IT. and love it. it's like what's going on in our lives today. there is so much violence, corruption, and awful things that are blatantly exposed to us everyday, and we become numb to it. it doesn't even shock us anymore. moreover, we are ENTICED by things like violence, drugs, and sex. this song should shock us. we should turn it on and never want to listen to it again, because the lyrics, if you take them literally as i doubt they were meant to be taken, are basically SICK. this song is one of the best, most effective displays of what's wrong with our society today. you mask anything with an alluring appeal - and we'll love it. it doesn't matter what lies beneath the surface. we like this song, and look at what it's about. gratuitious sex, violence, drugs, among other things, and someone finding these things beautiful, and WE LIKE A SONG ABOUT THIS, because it sounds good. like the lyrics say - the joke's on us.
I have always been touched by this song but have only recently understood the meaning. What Jenkins is trying to convey here is that of the slow decay of a drug addict. The casualness of his voice as he talks about the graphic content represents the thoughts of someone who has given up on suceeding in life in turn for a confusing and sad junkie life style," Now the cops will get me But girl if you would let me I'll take your pants off I got a little bit of blow we could both get off". He then goes on to explain the unescapable end to a life time of bad decisions, "And death slides close to me Won't grow old to be A junkie wine-o creep". When he says "Hollywood glamorized my wrath" he is talking about the way movies, tv shows, and popular culture glorify violence, drugs, and alcohol. The end gets me though. Slow motion see me let go. I've watched one of my once close friends slip into a horrible opiate addiction. Just like slow motion
It's sad, but it tells the truth. The best works of music and literature are written with pure honesty. This song accomplishes that nicely, as well as remaining sufficiently disturbing =)
I guess it's fair to say that it attempts to express truth, but I think analyzing the truth that Jenkins is putting forth would be a more interesting interpretation of the song. What is he saying? To tell you the truth, I'm not sure--I read he's a schizo anyway, does he know what he is saying? He's the most amazing artist I've ever encountered, but really complex. From the last verse of the song, I gather he's giving a social commentary on how children's minds are imprinted by a "californication" for lack of a better term (thanx Chili Peppers). I think Hollywood represents American culture, and the song represents how corrupt the products are of this culture.
This is a wonderful song. I didn't even know this song had lyrics until my friend played it for me. I have been a 3eb lover for a long time and I think I rate this song number 1. Great lyricship and musicship. A powerfull and very emotional song. Gotta Love it.
i listened to part of this song and was like "holy shit man, this is a good song!", yeah so i really liked it. i usually don't listen to this band, but i really like this song......because it's really good.
To me this is one of the most beautifuky written songs out there. Because its so true and honest like so very few songs really are. It reminds me alot of thursday and some of their lyrics.Completely different styles of music but lyrics that are honest and real. it shows a side of life that we rarely ever want to talk about and hardly ever see.