"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.
Temptation,
Why won't you leave me alone ?
Lurking every corner-
Everywhere I go
Self Control,
Don't turn your back on me now
When I need you the most
Constant pressure tests my will
My will or my won't
My self control escapes from me still
Hypocrite,
How could you be so cruel ?
And expect my faith in return ?
Resistance,
Is not as hard as it seems
When you close the door
I spent so long trusting in you
I trust you forgot
Just when I thought I believed in you
("What're you doing ? What're you doing ?")
It's time for me to deal
Becoming all too real
Living in fear,
Why did you lie and pretend ?
This has come to an end
I'll never trust you again
It's time you made your amends
Look in the mirror my friend
("That I haven't behaved as I should")
("Everything you need is around you. The only danger is inside you.")
("I thought you could control life, but it's not like that. There are things you can't control.")
Let's stare the problem right in the eye
It's plagued me from coast to coast
Racing the clock to please everyone
All but the one who matters the most
Reflections of reality
Are slowly coming into view
How in the hell could you possibly forgive me ?
After all the hell I put you through
It's time for me to deal
Becoming all too real
Living in fear
Why'd I betray my friend ?
Lying until the end
Living life so pretend
It's time to make my amends
I'll never hurt you again
Why won't you leave me alone ?
Lurking every corner-
Everywhere I go
Self Control,
Don't turn your back on me now
When I need you the most
Constant pressure tests my will
My will or my won't
My self control escapes from me still
Hypocrite,
How could you be so cruel ?
And expect my faith in return ?
Resistance,
Is not as hard as it seems
When you close the door
I spent so long trusting in you
I trust you forgot
Just when I thought I believed in you
("What're you doing ? What're you doing ?")
It's time for me to deal
Becoming all too real
Living in fear,
Why did you lie and pretend ?
This has come to an end
I'll never trust you again
It's time you made your amends
Look in the mirror my friend
("That I haven't behaved as I should")
("Everything you need is around you. The only danger is inside you.")
("I thought you could control life, but it's not like that. There are things you can't control.")
Let's stare the problem right in the eye
It's plagued me from coast to coast
Racing the clock to please everyone
All but the one who matters the most
Reflections of reality
Are slowly coming into view
How in the hell could you possibly forgive me ?
After all the hell I put you through
It's time for me to deal
Becoming all too real
Living in fear
Why'd I betray my friend ?
Lying until the end
Living life so pretend
It's time to make my amends
I'll never hurt you again
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Fast Car
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Mountain Song
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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."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
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No Surprises
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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.
The lyrics get even more interesting if you assume that he's the only one in the song, he's talking to himself in the mirror. What he was, the good; and what he now is, what he addiction has made him, seperated by the mirror. It makes sense if it's about realising an addiction.
"How in the hell could you possibly forgive me? After all the hell I put you through"
For example.
there's a line "hello mirror, so glad to see you my friend, it's been a while" in two of the songs from the AA saga, which possibly links into The Mirror.
This song is about Mike Portnoy's addiction to alcohol
Hmm... I never thought that would be what it meant, but it seems obvious now. =P Awesome song, to the say the least.
one of my fav's (but then they all are) but all i wanna know, is why is the beginning of this (the intro) referred to as puppies on acid? they play it in the live in tokyo dvd, so it was obviously written before awake was written. so was it something they just decided to make an actual song out of?
Mike Portnoy has said that it is about his addiction to alcohol, along with the AA series (which currently includes The Glass Prison, This Dying Soul, and The Root of all Evil).
However, while it contains some musical ties with Lie (mainly the fact that it bleeds into it and the main riff was originally meant to be part of The Mirror), it contains no connection with Lie as far as lyrics are concerned.
It was called "Puppies On Acid" because they made up fake lyrics that go with the melody played at the beginning. "Puppies on acid, aren't they a lovely sight, puppies on acid, I would eat them if I might". Although the lyrical themes are similar, it's not really connected to "Lie", just the music is.
It seems to be about a struggle with an addiction. "how in the hell could you possibly forgive me, after all the hell I put you through?". This is the line that led me to this conclusion because to me it's talking about a second side of a person being shown (possibly anger) via drugs, alcohol etc.. Good song.
In a line closely after the Meryl Streep Sample, it says "This has come to an end", but actually it is "This has TO come to an end"
Freakin' genius song, I especially like how the keyboard fits in so good.
Is it me or right after the final line of the song, is there the Space-Dye Vest riff? Is there another hidden Dream Theater nugget anyone know about here?