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.

Which Has Not Been Written
Fastbacks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Used to be afraid of what I liked
Used to be afraid of what was right
Never thought I'd get too far in life
Never thought I'd last another night
And then morning came and with it a new light
I'm telling you it wasn't all that bright
But it helped me to perceive all that I might
Put off for so long that I lost sight

Of the reason why I started this to write
Why is it so hard sometimes

To keep feeling sorry for myself
And finish ruining my life

Overall Meaning

The Fastbacks’ “Which Has Not Been Written” is a song about self-doubt and the struggle to find purpose in life. The opening lines suggest that the singer used to be afraid of what they liked and what was right, indicating a lack of confidence in their own judgment. They also express doubts about their ability to succeed in life and to survive another night.

However, the song takes a turn in the next couple of lines: "And then morning came and with it a new light / I'm telling you it wasn't all that bright." This suggests that though things might not have changed dramatically, the singer is starting to see things in a new way. They begin to realize that they have been putting off something important, something they started writing for a reason. The line "Why is it so hard sometimes / To keep feeling sorry for myself / And finish ruining my life" highlights the struggle of overcoming one’s own negative thoughts and behaviours.

Overall, the song is about the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, and to overcome self-doubt and negative thought patterns. The lyrics are a poignant reminder that sometimes we need to learn to get out of our own way in order to achieve our goals.

Line by Line Meaning

Used to be afraid of what I liked
I used to be scared to admit what made me happy

Used to be afraid of what was right
I used to be scared of doing the right thing

Never thought I'd get too far in life
I didn't think I was capable of achieving anything

Never thought I'd last another night
I didn't think I could survive another day

And then morning came and with it a new light
The next day brought a new perspective

I'm telling you it wasn't all that bright
The new perspective wasn't necessarily positive

But it helped me to perceive all that I might
Despite the negativity, it helped me see my potential

Put off for so long that I lost sight
I neglected something for so long that I forgot why I started

Of the reason why I started this to write
I forgot why I started writing

Why is it so hard sometimes
Why is it difficult to make progress sometimes

To keep feeling sorry for myself
To stop pitying myself