Monday, November 08, 2004
At Least I Got a Car
There are some songs that speak straight into our lives, such that we can play them on repeat all night long and never get over the importance of the message. When I hear this song, the core of everything I've felt since I left home comes rushing into my face and makes me feel both transient and at home forever.
This is Don Chaffer of Waterdeep
A friend of mine dropped out of school
He didn’t tell no one. He just left one day
Folks said he was actin’ like a fool
But he said, “I was about to go crazy and I was already foolish anyway
And what did I have to lose? What did I have to lose?”
He took off to Wisconsin late that night
Wisconsin, where he figured he could blend in
He said nothing felt good under him- not the road,
Not the tuition money in his pocket,
Not really even the car he was driving in
And what did he have to lose? What did he have to lose?
He said,
"At least I got a car I can drive tonight
I know it ain’t much but it makes me feel alright
And alright ain’t good, but alright’s alright
At least I got a car I can drive tonight."
Oh, college was hard for me and my friends
We all felt like little kids but they said we couldn’t act that way
I knew I was supposed to change
But changing’s hard and it was easier just to play video games
What did we have to lose? What did we have to lose?
We said,
"At least I got a car I can drive tonight
I know it ain’t much but it makes me feel alright
And alright ain’t good, but alright’s alright
At least I got a car I can drive tonight"
Man, sometimes don’t you want to just sit still?
'Cause you can only run so fast or drive so far
And home might feel like a funny idea that you never understood
But you want it more than you want the car
Cause you’re tired of how the seats feel
And you’re tired of the steering wheel
And you’d buy a new car but
The last thing you want is something new
Last thing you want is something new
Going home feels like the thing you ought to do
Cause You can only drive so far
Man I wish I had a home tonight
Somewhere I could feel more than alright
And alright ain’t bad, but alright’s just alright
And, man, I wish I had a home tonight
If you like this intelligent brand of Godly wisdom and want to hear more of the same, you can get the album (with a full band version of this song) here. It rocks my face off from start to finish, with all of Waterdeep's famously tasteful production and retro-cool soundscapes--and even older Truths.
This is Don Chaffer of Waterdeep
A friend of mine dropped out of school
He didn’t tell no one. He just left one day
Folks said he was actin’ like a fool
But he said, “I was about to go crazy and I was already foolish anyway
And what did I have to lose? What did I have to lose?”
He took off to Wisconsin late that night
Wisconsin, where he figured he could blend in
He said nothing felt good under him- not the road,
Not the tuition money in his pocket,
Not really even the car he was driving in
And what did he have to lose? What did he have to lose?
He said,
"At least I got a car I can drive tonight
I know it ain’t much but it makes me feel alright
And alright ain’t good, but alright’s alright
At least I got a car I can drive tonight."
Oh, college was hard for me and my friends
We all felt like little kids but they said we couldn’t act that way
I knew I was supposed to change
But changing’s hard and it was easier just to play video games
What did we have to lose? What did we have to lose?
We said,
"At least I got a car I can drive tonight
I know it ain’t much but it makes me feel alright
And alright ain’t good, but alright’s alright
At least I got a car I can drive tonight"
Man, sometimes don’t you want to just sit still?
'Cause you can only run so fast or drive so far
And home might feel like a funny idea that you never understood
But you want it more than you want the car
Cause you’re tired of how the seats feel
And you’re tired of the steering wheel
And you’d buy a new car but
The last thing you want is something new
Last thing you want is something new
Going home feels like the thing you ought to do
Cause You can only drive so far
Man I wish I had a home tonight
Somewhere I could feel more than alright
And alright ain’t bad, but alright’s just alright
And, man, I wish I had a home tonight
If you like this intelligent brand of Godly wisdom and want to hear more of the same, you can get the album (with a full band version of this song) here. It rocks my face off from start to finish, with all of Waterdeep's famously tasteful production and retro-cool soundscapes--and even older Truths.
