"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.
Who took the bomp?
Every day and night
Every day and night
I can see your disco disco dick
Is sucking my heart out of my mind
I'm outta time, I'm outta fucking time
I'm a gasoline gut with a Vaseline mind, but
Wanna disco? Wanna see me disco?
Let me hear you depoliticize my rhyme
(One, two, three, four)
You got what you been asking for
You're so policy free and
Your fantasy wheels and everything you think
And everything you feel
Is alright, alright, alright, alight, alright
I take you home, now watch me get you hot
You're just a parrot when you're screaming
And you're shouting
"More crackers, please, more crackers, please"
You want what you want but you don't wanna be on your knees
Who does your, who does your hair?
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamadingdong?
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamadingdong?
How are you?
Fine, thank you
How are you?
Fine, thank you
You bought a new van the first year of your band
You're cool and I hardly wanna say "not"
Because I'm so bored that I'd be entertained
Even by a stupid floor, a linoleum floor, linoleum floor
Your lyrics are dumb like a linoleum floor
I'll walk on it, I'll walk all over you
Walk on it, walk on it, walking one, two
(Who? Who? Who? Who?)
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamading-dong?
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamading-dong?
See you later
See you later
See you later
See you later
Every day and night
Every day and night
I can see your disco disco dick
Is sucking my heart out of my mind
I'm outta time, I'm outta fucking time
I'm a gasoline gut with a Vaseline mind, but
Wanna disco? Wanna see me disco?
Let me hear you depoliticize my rhyme
(One, two, three, four)
You got what you been asking for
You're so policy free and
Your fantasy wheels and everything you think
And everything you feel
Is alright, alright, alright, alight, alright
I take you home, now watch me get you hot
You're just a parrot when you're screaming
And you're shouting
"More crackers, please, more crackers, please"
You want what you want but you don't wanna be on your knees
Who does your, who does your hair?
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamadingdong?
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamadingdong?
How are you?
Fine, thank you
How are you?
Fine, thank you
You bought a new van the first year of your band
You're cool and I hardly wanna say "not"
Because I'm so bored that I'd be entertained
Even by a stupid floor, a linoleum floor, linoleum floor
Your lyrics are dumb like a linoleum floor
I'll walk on it, I'll walk all over you
Walk on it, walk on it, walking one, two
(Who? Who? Who? Who?)
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamading-dong?
Who took the bomp from the bompalompalomp?
Who took the ram from the ramalamading-dong?
See you later
See you later
See you later
See you later
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Aaargh! I am so fed up with hearing assholes saying that feminism is a lost cause. Rape convictions are ridiculously low despite the fact that 1 in 3 women will experience sexual abuse in her lifetime, domestic abuse and rape myths still exists, the sex industry is considered the epitome of female empowerment and women still compete with each for male attention and that is not even half of the bullshit that we still have to fight.
the other people who commented are stupid and ovbiously dont like le tigre. this song is obviously about lyrics- other band's crappy lyrics. le tigre has politically charged lyrics and they dont want them depoliticized. They compare other bands lyrics with linolium floors that they step all over. My god how did anyone think this was about posers or relationships?! you people should read the lyrics befor commenting on them.
i don't think that anyone has addressed the pretty sexual lyrics yet. while i agree that this song could be a reflection of their frustration with being viewed as a "chick band" as someone else suggested, i think it could also be about being a guy's sex toy and staying with him out of boredom. (i take you home now watch me get you hot...)
even though this particular song screams "angry feminist" and plays into the very negative stereotype that have been placed on feminists, precipitate is absolutely right...feminism advocates giving ALL people the space and respect that they need to be and become who they are / can be. it's not about women anymore, it concerns EVERYONE. (even kurt cobain was a self-proclaimed feminist)
i love how the first two stanzas are kinda just saying "fuck you" to everyone who doesnt realize the politics of le tigre's songs and just still take them as a band of 'chicks' and nothing more. and i love how that other stanza is taking a jab at nofx. i love it all. the music + the lyrics.
I think it's about poseurs, plain and simple... when you go out with someone you think is going to be so cool and turns out to be shady and the being the worst thing you can be... dull....
Flamer, don't go attempting to attack others when you yourself are hardly right. This song IS in retaliation the NOFX song "Kill Rockstars" which attacked Kathleen and Bikini Kill. Hence, Linoleum floor.
Mind you, the entire song isn't about that, just the one verse.
BACK OFF OF THE FRUMPIES.
That's pretty bitchin that you have that as your alarm clock. I wish I had high technology knowledge so I could get it into my phone.
Ironic, and lousy, that the DFA remix cuts out all of the lyrics up to and including "Let me hear you depoliticize my rhyme".
I agree with you on that. Though at the same time a lot of dance remixes of songs have most of the lyrics cut out. But yeah... leaving that in would have been good.
(Sorry if I spell to wrong or something, I don't speak english usually. But I hope you'll understand the things I whrite.)
I think this song is about rape. Its KH's rage against rapers. "every day and night I can see your disco dick is sucking my heart out of my mind" = She's been raped and every day and night the memories of the rape passes her mind. Just one simple organ, a dick, fucked up her life. All the things she experiend with her mind suckes her heart out of her cheast. "Im out of time, Im a gasoline gut whit an vasoline mind but, wanna disco, wanna se me disco"= her time is out, lifes fucked up and ended. She feels like she's just some material thing, like something on gas, a organ you can fuck like when ever you want to. Her mind is fucked up, everything is just slipping around in her head like on vasoline. The rapist wanted to se her disco, se her in action, have sex with her. "Let me hear you depoliticize my rhyme" = This song is her revenge. He cant take it from her. He cant depoliticize her rhymes.