The meanings of each car in the song 'Worthless'

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Foreward: I believe that there's another message board that's touched down on this before. I'm going to post it there as well but figured I'd write it here as it inspired me to finally type this out.

Okay, this is a song that has perplexed me for a long while. I have seen many interpretations of what each car could represent while I have my own ideas of what they could mean. Speaking to a friend he had an interpretation that I would have not thought of myself. So here, I will post the lyrics of each car with both his (1) and my (2) ideas. Hope this helps.

I can't take this kind of pressure
I must confess one more dusty road
would be just a road to long

1: What you need to take into consideration that each of these cars represent a community and/or era that has passed and been outdated. What was once cherished has been deemed worthless by modern (circa 1980) society. The first car would represent the mid-western society. The mentality that you should drive because you can that has been rendered worthless with the pressure of the cold war.

2: I would see this as the pressure of the outside world weighing down on the mentality of an average citizen. Feeling that each day needs to be filled with activities that push you to strained limits, the mentality that someone takes when they "break down" and give up is quickly deemed as someone who does not contribute to society.

I just can't, I just can't
I just can't seem to get started!
Don't have the heart to live in the fast lane
All that has passed and gone

1: The 1950's-1960's era of driving where you drive to feel liberated. In the modern day people are taking notice to the cost of gas as well as maintenance and upkeep and so driving freely is now rendered as non-cost effective and in turn worthless. The idea that it is a woman voicing this could also be a reflection of feminism and women trying to push themselves past their limits, working much harder then men in order to keep themselves independent and out of the out-dated stereotypes of working in the kitchen and raising the children.

2: An observation of the elderly perhaps? The line "all that has passed and gone" could point to reasoning that this 'being' has gone through so much that they can no longer keep up with current society and the racing feeling that was being pressed on people as they entered they age of modern technology where faster was better. Slowing down = unproductive = worthless.

I come from KC Missouri
And I got my kicks down on Route 66
Every truck stop from Butte to MO
Motown to Old Alabama
From Texarkana and east of Savanna from Tampa to Old Kokomo

1 & 2: One where we both agreed, this car personifies the Dukes of Hazard/Southern dream/drifter mentality. Simply stated, the lyrics indicate that drifting/having a southern type mentality is seen as a backwards way of living when being observed by mainstream society and because it contributes nothing to the whole of society it is useless.

I once ran the Indy 500
I must confess I'm impressed how I did
And I wonder how close that I came
Now I get a sinking sensation
I was the top of the line, out of site out of mind
So much for fortune and fame

1: A representation of the 1920's (indicated by the model of car; a 1920 speeder). It was the era of excess where history showed that progress without control would create a situation of a financial downfall. What was once seen as a time of luxury quickly became tainted with the progression of The Great Depression and it is now seen as frivolous.

2: An allusion to the catch 22 of stardom. Someone who shoots for the dream of becoming famous and while they have a period at which their career peaks they are quickly forgotten for something that is better looking/more talented. The person quickly sinks into obscurity and becomes a memory if not less. To waste one's life by pursuing a dream in which you are destined to fail for a moment of recognition is a worthless venture and a waste of life.

Once took a Texan to a wedding
Once took a Texan to a wedding
He kept forgetting, his loneliness letting
His thoughts turn to home and we turned

I took a man to a graveyard
I beg your pardon, it's quite hard enough
Just living with the stuff I have learned

1: The first of these two would represent the Texan dream; the success of prospering on the oil market. While it could work for a few by "mainstream modern" society it is seen as a fruitless venture as one would work themselves to the bone on the 'possibility' of striking it rich. The second car, a hearse, represents death. What the movie could drive further by having the hearse stack on top of the first car could be a commentary saying that oil = death to the environment.

2: The first car could be a representation of the conflict of progress towards a new life of co-dependence with a partner versus the comfort of being at home with family. Someone who would choose to return to the comfort of staying in the past rather than move forward and continue the cycle of raising a family and taking on the responsibilities that come along would be seen as cowardice and rendered as a useless member of society. The second car could be suicide. I say this because while the theme of death is evident the idea that this car is not pleading or giving excuses for why he should not be discarded but rather embracing and reasoning with being discarded by saying something akin to "I've seen enough to make me resent life itself so it doesn't matter." Known as a nihilistic attitude, these people are quick to be tossed aside as being pessimistic and a drag on society.

Once drove a surfer to sunset
There were bikinis and buns filled with weenies
Believe me, just couldn't forget

Pico, lets go up to Zuma
Pico, lets go up to Zuma
From Zuma to Yuma the rumor was I had a hand in the lay of the land
Get up and go hit the highway

1 & 2: We're in agreement that this is a representation of the southern California ideology that could be seen in the 1950's-1960's where learning to love the road and skirt responsibility for surf and sun was accepted amongst the modern generation. By the 1980's people would understand that this was a mistake on their part and it would be better if this mentality would be discarded and forgotten so that progress could be made.

I worked on a reservation
Who would believe they would love me and leave on a bus back to old Santa Fe?

Once in an Indian nation
I took the kids on the skids with a Hopi
Who was happy to lie there and say
"You're worthless"

variation:

Once in an Indian nation
I took the kids on the skids with a Hopi
I was happy 'til I heard them say
"You're worthless."

1 & 2: We cannot deny that this is not a nod to the Native Americans. These people's ways were seen as backwards for centuries until they were forced into the far mid-west regions (on a bus back to old Santa Fe) of the United States and put on reservations where they would work their life away. The kids either saying to the character or to his accomplice that he is worthless is pointing out that kids, the upcoming generation, has no appreciation and no incentive to even try and understand why the Native American's live the way they do or how they were put into that position. Native American's overall are becoming completely faded and are an example of one of the first "worthless" cultures that were dominant of the land a long time before any of these other cultures/era's were pushed into the background.


So as you can see, while my friend focused more on the models of the car to base his interpretations off of historical periods, I took a more psycho-analytical approach. While I do not believe there will be any set definition given forth we can only be left to speculate. I hope that this can add some thought to the discussion.

Beach car: gay sex. LMFAO I had to spit out my Pepsi.

Actually, the red car is a Plymouth Superbird, an extremely rare type of classic Mopar or commonly known as Muscle Car. The lyrics do suggest that it's been to many different places but they have a double standard meaning. He comes from KC Missouri, Missouri is home of the manufacturing plant for Plymouth, Jeep and Dodge. Superbirds were a follow on a stock car's design for the 1970 version of the Dodge Charger Daytona. Which was held in the Talladega Speedway in Alabama, also in his lyrics and comprised of those lyrics are names of other famous speedways.

Also, the Texas limo and the Hearse's lyrics refer to the same person. The man had cold feet before the marriage and overturned in the limo, then died later so the Hearse carried him to the graveyard. The Hearse is also haunted by what he sees, being a carrier of dead bodies and his lines somewhat suggest that it was ironic that a Hearse end up facing the very thing it's dealt with all of it's life.

There was no reference to "gay sex" in this movie, stupid. Its a Disney G rated film. Just a few dark elements. Gay sex is not referenced in this, you stupid.

No Day But Today. Today 4 U. One Song Glory.
How we gonna pay last year's RENT?!

Before the song, the master tell his girlfriend "You should have gone for the new stuff". The central theme of the film revolves around the challenges of navigating the rapid technological and social changes in the modern world, which give rise to psychological consequences such as loneliness.

Blue Car: the car exhibits signs of aging, with its worn appearance resembling broken teeth and weary eyes. These characteristics likely suggest its advanced years. The car comes to a realization that death is drawing near due to its old age, evoking a sense of anxiety as it contemplates the uncertainty of what lies ahead on the final road, commonly referred to as death. This car symbolizes the erosion of community in the modern world, especially in the context of large cities.

White-pink Car: From what I understand, she is someone who don't have the mental strength to compete in the modern world.

Red Car: Incapable of wholehearted commitment, be it in matters of love, relationships, or family, always in motion, constantly on the move, and often on a journey to and fro. Some individuals experience immense pressure in response to the rapid and competitive world they inhabit, leading them to opt for abandoning society and embracing a nomadic lifestyle.

Race Car: Someone who once stood at the pinnacle of fame, only to have it 'taken away' by a new generation more adept at adapting to technological and social shifts. The car, in this scenario, experiences feelings of abandonment and betrayal from those who were who once adored it. He was once a star and now worthless.

Texan: A depressed person who has experienced the loss of a partner or family member and is unable to get rid of the pain, even in the happy moments. The Texan's thoughts frequently drifted back to his home in Texas. From what I understand he didn't even go to the wedding at the end. I also assume this is related to the loss of community support and family support that was more common in the past.