Lyrics for Faster as interpreted by ecureuil

Faster Lyrics
I hate purity
Hate goodness
I don\'t want virtue to exist anywhere
I want everyone corrupt

I am an architect, they call me a butcher
I am a pioneer, they call me primitive
I am purity, they call me perverted
Holding you but I only miss these things when they leave

I am idiot drug hive, the virgin, the tattered and the torn
Life is for the cold made warm and they are just lizards
Self-disgust is self-obsession honey and I do as I please
A morality obedient, only to the cleansed repented

I am stronger than Mensa, Miller and Mailer
I spat out Plath and Pinter
I am all the things that you regret
A truth that washes that learnt how to spell

The first time you see yourself naked you cry
Soft skin now acne, foul breath, so broken
He loves me truly this mute solitude I\'m draining
I know I believe in nothing but it is my nothing

Sleep can\'t hide the thoughts splitting through my mind
Shadows aren\'t clean, false mirrors too many people awake
If you stand up like a nail then you will be knocked down
I\'ve been too honest with myself I should have lied like everybody else

I am stronger than Mensa, Miller and Mailer
I spat out Plath and Pinter
I am all the things that you regret
A truth that washes that learnt how to spell, learnt to spell

So damn easy to cave in, man kills everything
So damn easy to cave in, man kills everything
So damn easy to cave in, man kills everything
So damn easy to cave in, man kills everything

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rhysjohn
05-23-2002

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This is a realy great song one of their best

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littlelostme
06-14-2002

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This aint a song, its a kick to the head (and a rather powerful one at that).

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newartriot
06-18-2002

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i think its a lot about orwells 1984, the first line i am an architect... was about richeys self abuse and cutting, the next two lines can be related to Winston in 1984.
Mensa miller etc are all philosophers or authors, clever people basically! The first time u see urself naked... perhaps when he is naked in the cell in the ministry in 1984, he sees himself for what he is. I know i believe in nothing.... i think -Winstons beliefs and position in 1984 are against the party, he knows wot he believes, but in the eyes of the party they are irrellevant and count for nothing, it means nothing to anyone else.
If you stand up like a nail... in the prison if you move or stand up you are knocked down, verbally or physically, and in life, if you stand up for what you believe in, you are knocked down, or silenced.
Been to honest.... in 1984 winston knows the truth, but leads him into trouble basically, if he had just been a mindless autonome like everyone else he would have been better off.
Thats wot i make of it anyways :)

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RustyJamesBabe
06-21-2002

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Hey, that 1984 theory was finger-licking goodness! :)
Since 'Life becoming a landslide' and 'Too cold here' Mention birth as first in a line of traumatic events 'The first time you see yourself naked you cry' can also be refered to the cries of a newborn..
But more significantly, it also refers to the way a teenager re-discover their body.



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MissD
09-24-2002

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It's a song about finding some kind of superiority on all the pain u have put yourself through. People call you a butcher but u feel like you are creating some beautiful. People call you a primitive when it's really you who just knows better. People say you are disgusting sick when you feel like you are clean and pure because of what you have done. Raising yourself above all these really intelligent ppl plath pinter mensa and miller and just feeling better than everything. It's a euphoric feeling you've lost all this weight you've got this discipline this power and control you are better than them all. He feel he is all the things you regret everything u never want to see. But it's just like yes I'm better than this I'm better than you I am everything. I know not all the lyrics are about that a lot of it's about self disgust too. But it's just I feel that's what the song get's at in certain places.

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man_kills_everything
10-11-2002

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If i remember correctly, Nicky didn't actually know what this song was about either, and he wrote half of it!

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Fox23
04-24-2003

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i love this song. Gets me in the best mood and i dunno why haha. i love the lyrics too even though i dont get half of them!

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Johnno
04-28-2003

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its about richeys personal depression about how he is misunderstood and frustrated and how he hates himself for it

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gsmith300
06-20-2004

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Opening quote is John Hurt from the film 1984, differs slightly from the quote in the book. Names in the song:
Mensa - High IQ society
Miller - Arthur (?) Playwrite, married Marilyn Monroe
Pinter - Harold, another playwrite. This song has the same crazed feel, and paranoia as his work, especially 'The Birthday Party'.

Mailer? Plath? Anyone...

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U2babe
06-24-2004

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Sylvia Plath was an author and a poet, she wrote The Belljar, one of Richey's favourite books, and soon after it's publication she committed suicide. The book is about a girls breakdown, she self-harms and attempts suicide.

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matt675
11-29-2004

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Norman Mailer: A contreversial american novelist, who wrote non-fiction in the style of novels, as well as writing screenplays and other works.

One of my favourite set of lyrics from the manics, especially the lines "if you stand up like a nail then you will be knocked down. i've been too honest with myself i should have lied like everybody else". Very much delving into Richey's depressing outlook on life in general.
The title of faster, according to Nicky Wire, is about the speeding up of society in general, from the much slower pace of life that people used to lead. interestingly though, it has been suggested that the title is once again referring to anorexia, faster being a person going without food. whether that's a coincedence or not i don't know. much of he song does seem to be about a lack of self worth, and the first line "i am an architect, they call me a butcher" may be about how differently people percieve his self harm to how he does.
But it's a great song, incredibly intense to listen to.

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paulothemanio
01-04-2005

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I always think the first few lines refer to communism, which is what the Manics believe (or believed) in. It could be about how they believe they are creating something great (I am an architect) but how most in the west revile it (they call me a butcher) and so forth.
As for the rest of it, I've never been able to even hazard a guess what it could possibly be about!

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Dloke
05-08-2005

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I think MissD pretty much said it all. This song has to be my favorite at the moment. So tense and amazing. The lyrics to me means that one should sort of consider the weaknesses you have as strengths. The first verse is probably a description of Richey and his situation. He felt that he was a creator, while others said what he was doing was destroying. He felt that he was a pioneer who explored and was a special person who went his own ways to discover himself, but because of that people claimed him to be primitive. And he thought himself as someone clean, while others found him obscure and what not... All of this sort of introduces the rest of the song; he is a pioneer for his own life, and he starts seeing things the way they really are, something the majority often doesn't.

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my nothing
05-10-2005

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I think this song (the greatest of all time, in my humble opinion) is done from the alternating points of view of the main characters in 1984.

-The first four lines are Winston's opinions of the party (please read the book if you don't know what I'm talking about)
-The next four are Julia ('I am idiot drug-hive, the virgin...' - she was a member of the junior anti sex league, and '....I do as i please' - she often had sex with party members, including Winston, against the party's plan)
-The chorus could be Winston and Julia in unison or just Winston.
-The next two lines, 'The first time you see yourself/Naked you cry/Soft skin now acne/Foul breath so broken' are O'Brien's interoggation of Winston.
-'He loves me truly....' is Julia
-'I know I believe in nothing but it is my nothing.' The song's most famous line is Winston's despair at what the party thinks of him - that his opinions aren't valid and worthless.
-Next four are again Winston, even in his dreams he was plauged by the past.
-Repeat chorus
-'So damn easy to cave in...' is self-explanotory. it's not anyone in 1984, but just one of Richey's own sentiments.

That's just my theory anyway, might not be right but still...

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daprincetrk
06-24-2005

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I think the title is the most intriguing thing about the song. Is it "Faster" in terms of speed and motion or is it "Faster" in terms of one who starves themself?

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my nothing
07-06-2005

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Explain "Faster in terms of one who starves themself."

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Reidsan
07-22-2005

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^ to my nothing: this is probably a reference to richey's anorexia.

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my nothing
08-09-2005

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But what has the word 'Faster' got to do with starvation or for that matter, Richey's anorexia? I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm stupid (but I probably am )

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jonnybassman
09-29-2005

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the first part of the song relates to the party theory in 1984. no matter what the masses may remember it never actually happened. the 2+2=5 line. "i am an architect but they call me butcher" no matter what you think you are the party will always tell you different. the whole song relates to 1984 and the communist way of life, the thought police were merely Stalin's secret police and that's where the line "sleep can't hide the thoughts" comes from. no matter how alone you are, you're never actually alone in communist/fascist society

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my nothing
10-07-2005

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Communism is not synonymous with totalitarianism. The Manics are Marxists (underlined for grandiose effect.) Read 'The Communist Manifesto' before you throw around opinions like that.
I'm reminded of an Orwell quote (I'll have to paraphrase it.) On 'Animal Farm' (an allegory of the Russian revolution): 'It is the history of the revolution that when wrong, and of the excellent excuses forthcoming at every stage for the perversion of the orginal doctrine.'
Communism and communist ideals have been perverted beyond recognition, you see.

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jeffjeffjeff
11-09-2005

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The name 'Faster' refers to one who fasts,- to fast means not to eat, often for religious reasons, e.g. Jesus supposedly fasted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, Muslims fast during Ramadan. And a certain member of the band didn't eat a great deal, natch. Some people think that 'Faster' refers to the speeding up of our society, but I can't really see this.

The meaning to me is, well, Richey telling the world (including himself) to go fuck themselves. Although Nicky did contribute, as someone said, it's definitely a Richey testament. They (he often talks about this mysterious 'they') see him as this freakshow figure, goes the song, whereas really he is a great writer /poet. It gets even more arrogant in the chorus as he exclaims he is greater even than his idols, Sylvia Plath, Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller and Harold Pinter, not to mention the members of the recognised field of geniuses Mensa.

However, the song naturally isn't an ego-trip, he slams himself, perhaps most poignantly via a line that was inspired by something once said to him by Caffy St Luce: 'Self-disgust? More like self-obsession, honey...'

The remainder of the song is more criticism of the hideousness of human condition, and to be honest I don't understand a lot of it. I hadn't noticed the 1984 connection before, that's pretty cool.

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my nothing
12-04-2005

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I didn't know you were referring to 'faster' the noun, I thought it was 'faster' as in 'more quickly'. Eh... sorry about that.

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ithillion
01-17-2006

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The rest of the band certainly took it as in 'more quickly', judging by the music written for it. I'd never considered it as "one who fasts" before, but it would make sense.
Perhaps the two are in a way synonymous... I know when I feel terrible (as I expect someone who is starving themselves would feel) my senses are numbed and much of the world in motion seems overbearing and somehow 'faster'

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othomas005
03-08-2006

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Nicky and Richey's "pass notes" -

http://articles.richeyedwards.net/holybible.html

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ReActor
03-26-2006

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I've always taken this song to be simply about one who is an outcast observing society from the outside. They appear content to be out of it because of the mess that it has become.

Probably the Manics' best lyrics, and some of the best I've ever heard - up there with Love Will Tear Us Apart.

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