"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.
Edna Million in a drop-dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two-dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner in the pouring rain
Sixteen men on a dead man's chest
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
Two pairs of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of bourbon, I can't stand up
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Schiffer broke a bottle on Morgan's head
And I've been stepping on the Devil's tail
Across the stripes of a full moon's head
And through the bars of a Cuban jail
Bloody fingers on a purple knife
Flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass
I'm on the lawn with someone else's wife
Admire the view from up on top of the mast
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
I said hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Yellow sheets on a Hong Kong bed
Stazybo horn and a Slingerland ride
"To the carnival" is what she said
A hundred dollars makes it dark inside
Edna Million in a drop-dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two-dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner in the pouring rain
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two-dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner in the pouring rain
Sixteen men on a dead man's chest
And I've been drinking from a broken cup
Two pairs of pants and a mohair vest
I'm full of bourbon, I can't stand up
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Schiffer broke a bottle on Morgan's head
And I've been stepping on the Devil's tail
Across the stripes of a full moon's head
And through the bars of a Cuban jail
Bloody fingers on a purple knife
Flamingo drinking from a cocktail glass
I'm on the lawn with someone else's wife
Admire the view from up on top of the mast
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
I said hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
House is on fire, your children are alone
Yellow sheets on a Hong Kong bed
Stazybo horn and a Slingerland ride
"To the carnival" is what she said
A hundred dollars makes it dark inside
Edna Million in a drop-dead suit
Dutch Pink on a downtown train
Two-dollar pistol but the gun won't shoot
I'm in the corner in the pouring rain
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Hey little bird, fly away home
Your house is on fire, your children are alone
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira, edited by Snaro59
Jockey Full of Bourbon Lyrics as written by Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics © JALMA MUSIC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I'm just guessing here but,,, Drop Dead Suit is slang for a murder charge
Dutch Pink can be either blood or slang for captured alone (alone as in going "dutch", and pink - for awhile it was short for captured by the Pinkerton Detective Agency)
Stepping on the devil's tail definitely means dabbling in some sort of illegal or immoral activity
The stripes of a full moon's head through the bars of a Cuban jail: moonlight through cell bars looks like stripes on the floor (Been there, done that), and Full Moon's Head refers to the face of the man-in-the-moon
My thoughts are that the song is about a cabby who inadvertently ferried a mobster or hit-man around town. Only after a crime was committed did the cabby realize what was up but it was too late to back out. He then got blind drunk to ease his conscience. The lyrics represent his statement to the police while in a drunken stupor.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :-)
Edna Million war eine berühmte Schriftstellerin, die 1923 den Pulizerpreis gewonnen hat. Sie war unter Anderem Bisexuell, hatte eine Freundin und gleichzeitig
If you've ever seen "Down By Law", this is the song you hear in the beginning of the movie, and it's the best video-clip you can hope for this one, speaking of movies, Waits stars in down by law (you may wanna see coffee and cigarettes too) Waits's Movie appearances are simply unforgettable. (It sure helps if you're a fan :) )
This song RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha.
This song feels like something from a film-noir movie. I could see this song in the background of a movie like A Touch of Evil.
as sinister as touch of evil, but as sureal as Kiss Me Deadly
As mentioned its the theme for Down By Law, the most noirish comedy ever.
best song on the island years album
If you love this song, you owe it to yourself to watch "Strangers on a Train". I feel certain that it served as inspiration for this song.
just wanna add that is also on the beggining of "Things to do in Denver when you are dead", it's a travelling too but with palms instead of houses from a depressing neighbourhood.
incredible song as usual in him
amazing song. the guitar instantly takes you to another place.
It's definitely "A hundred dollars makes the talking sad," as in paying a prostitute makes for depressing conversation. At least that's how I always hear/interpret the line.
Without a doubt, the lyric is "A hundred dollars makes it dark inside" - I've performed this song for years, and I just double checked in the Beautiful Maladies songbook.
@tommy crashwreck A hundred dollars makes it dark inside is what it is
I've just realised how similar this tune is to the opening credits of 'Black Books' - check it out!