"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.
Some people might say my life is in a rut
I'm quite happy with what I got
People might say that I should strive for more, but
I'm so happy I can't see the point
Something's happening here today
A show of strength with your boy's brigade
And I'm so happy and you're so kind
You want more money, of course I don't mind
To buy nuclear textbooks for atomic crimes
And the public gets what the public wants
But I want nothing this society's got
I'm going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground (going underground)
Well, let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow
Some people might get some pleasure out of hate
Me, I've enough already on my plate
People might need some tension to relax
Me? I'm too busy dodging between the flak
What you see is what you get
You've made your bed, you better lie in it
You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns
And the public wants what the public gets
But I don't get what this society wants
I'm going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground (going underground)
So let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
We talk and we talk until my head explodes
I turn on the news and my body froze
These braying sheep on my TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream
Going underground
I'm going underground
I'm going underground
I'm going underground
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
Braying sheep on my TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream
Going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground (going underground)
Well, let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout
Going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet go pound-pound-pound
Going underground (going underground)
So let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow
I'm quite happy with what I got
People might say that I should strive for more, but
I'm so happy I can't see the point
Something's happening here today
A show of strength with your boy's brigade
And I'm so happy and you're so kind
You want more money, of course I don't mind
To buy nuclear textbooks for atomic crimes
And the public gets what the public wants
But I want nothing this society's got
I'm going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground (going underground)
Well, let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow
Some people might get some pleasure out of hate
Me, I've enough already on my plate
People might need some tension to relax
Me? I'm too busy dodging between the flak
What you see is what you get
You've made your bed, you better lie in it
You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns
And the public wants what the public gets
But I don't get what this society wants
I'm going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground (going underground)
So let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
We talk and we talk until my head explodes
I turn on the news and my body froze
These braying sheep on my TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream
Going underground
I'm going underground
I'm going underground
I'm going underground
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
(Oh) la-la-la-la
Braying sheep on my TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream
Going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground (going underground)
Well, let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout
Going underground (going underground)
Well, if the brass bands play and feet go pound-pound-pound
Going underground (going underground)
So let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow
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How does it get better than: "You choose your leaders and place your trust As their lies wash you down and their promises rust You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns"?
@wmorris it blows my mind that Paul Weller wrote these lyrics (and everything else upto Setting Sons) by the time he was 22
@wmorris I do think John Lydon [Rotten] wrote better and more concise/accurate/acute lyrics
Great song would I be correct in saying it about England and Thatcher ect? Great song really sums up the anti society feelings that we all get. I love the opening line.
A brilliant song against the jingoistic war-mongering and materialism/"aspiration" appropriated by our press and politicians; but chiefly their prioritising warfare over welfare and how it makes you want to opt out altogether and go 'underground'. A testament to how good it is, is its relevance today - just look at how we're told our NHS has become "unaffordable" whilst non-renewal of the costly, useless, unusable, nuclear warheads AKA trident is off the table.
@Lonelyascanbe It is a great 'anti-capitalist' lyric/song [albeit done in the guise of a corporate band]
The modfather's greatest song.
I think it's about somebody who doesn't care for society and what it has to offer, so vows to do things his way
This song was voted number 28 on the Greatest Number 1's of all Time on Channel 4...great song, I love it! My favourite part is "What you see is what you get, you've made your bed, you better lie in it" :D
I love the last bit.
Going Underground! Weeoo-weeooo-weeoo-weeoo!
Sorry - bad attempt at cool guitar noise.
"You choose your leaders and place your trust As their lies wash you down and their promises rust You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns"
Weller is a godly lyricist.
how come all the jams songs hae so little posts?? in there time they were the greatest band around! the song is simple, its about nuculear holocaust "you want more money of cousre i don't mind, to buy nuculear textbooks for atomic crimes" is reffering to the goverment spending the taxpayers money on weapons of mass destruction, and "going underground is talking about how when nuculear war brakes out we will alll have to hide underground from the toxic poisons and the earths surface.
It's about him not understanding why the government does things like build nuclear bombs going underground is getting away from society.
I doubt this song will ever lose relevance. While it may've been written in the late 70s about the UK, it's just as relevant about any of the super powers of the world when it comes to the talk of rockets, guns, and nuclear arms. And it's still relevant 30 years later. That makes this a great song (besides it just being awesome). Anything that stands that test of time and is still relevant is something that is well-written.