Fastbacks were a pioneering Seattle band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/gui… Read Full Bio ↴Fastbacks were a pioneering Seattle band. Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960), and friends Lulu Gargiulo (guitar and vocals, born October 12, 1960) and Kim Warnick (bass and vocals, born April 7, 1959), they disbanded in 2001. Their sound mixed a generally punk approach to vocals and sound textures with poppy tunes and strong musicianship. Bloch is also a member of The Young Fresh Fellows as well as Thee Sgt. Major III. The Fastbacks reunited for a show in West Seattle in the summer of 2011.

Old Address Of The Unknown
Fastbacks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And I threw away
The old address of the unknown
I'll spend the next ten thousand light years at home
I'll stay away from work again today
And think of all the records that I want to play
"Not within our goal
Not within the solar system I was born
And you were from

The one that I am from
From where we all have come

"And I will stay!"
Not within our goal to find another place
"Empty space is no ideal to me"
Beyond the facts there lies
Lies beyond imagination
Beyond the miracles

Beyond the skies
Finally I start to realize

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the Fastbacks' song "Old Address of the Unknown" are open to interpretation, but they seem to suggest a longing for a sense of belonging and connection. The opening lines "And I threw away the old address of the unknown" could imply a sense of rejecting the unknown and searching for something familiar. The subsequent lines suggest a desire to stay comfortably at home, away from work and surrounded by beloved records.

The spoken section of the song provides some intriguing context and imagery. The lines "Not within our goal / Not within the solar system I was born / And you were from / The one that I am from / From where we all have come" suggest a broader, cosmic perspective. The singer is acknowledging that they and their listener are both from the same place in the universe, but they are also different and searching for something beyond their current understanding. The repeated refrain of "Not within our goal" implies that there is a sense of mystery and wonder beyond what we can achieve through traditional means.

Line by Line Meaning

And I threw away
I got rid of

The old address of the unknown
The location I was uncertain of before

I'll spend the next ten thousand light years at home
I'll stay in my current position for a long time

I'll stay away from work again today
I won't go to my job today

And think of all the records that I want to play
I'll consider all the music I want to listen to

"Not within our goal
"It's not our intention

Not within the solar system I was born
To be outside of the area I originated from

And you were from
And you are from

The one that I am from
The same place that I'm from

From where we all have come
The location we all originated from

"And I will stay!"
"And I'll remain where I am!"