Ward was previously with the band Rodriguez, which included bassist Kyle Field (of Little Wings fame) and drummer Mike Funk. They recorded and released on cassette Box Plots and Cash Crops and then the album Swing Like a Metronome in 2000. Duet for Guitars #2 was released on Howe Gelb's Ow Om record label. Ward's 2001 album, End of Amnesia, was released by Future Farmer Records, and his subsequent albums have been released on Merge Records. A collection of live recordings, Live Music & the Voices of Strangers, was a self-released disc that was sold at his shows. His next album, Transfiguration of Vincent, was released in 2003, followed by Transistor Radio in 2005. A year later, Post War was released.
In 2006, he contributed a song to, and helped produce, the John Fahey tribute album, I Am the Resurrection. He also contributed the song "Transfiguration #1" from Transfiguration of Vincent to the Brushfire Records soundtrack for A Brokedown Melody, a Jack Johnson surfing film.
His album, Hold Time, was released in 2009. The album A Wasteland Companion followed in 2012. The album title alludes to T.S. Eliot's 1922 modernist poem, The Waste Land. In 2016, he released More Rain. On June 8, 2018, M. Ward released What a Wonderful Industry.
Side Projects
In 2008 M. Ward combined forces with Zooey Deschanel and became She & Him. They have released two albums so far, Volume One in 2008 and Volume Two in 2010. He is also one fourth of the folk supergroup, Monsters of Folk, alongside Jim James from My Morning Jacket, and Conor Oberst & Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes. Their self-titled release, Monsters of Folk, was released in 2009.
* Official website
Beautiful Car
M. Ward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Workin' part time for my dad after school
When I got the go-ahead
To pick a car and spin around the neighborhood
It was a baby blue '52 Roadstar
It was a beautiful car
And the murder of the schoolmaster's son
Last year I asked him who he was afraid of
And he answered, "Everyone"
Well, did I even flinch a wrist?
Should I have tried to undo what had been done?
That's just the way it's gotta be
I should never have to worry myself none
It was a baby blue '52 Roadstar
It was a beautiful car
It was a beautiful car
It was a beautiful car
It was a beautiful car
The lyrics of M. Ward's song "Beautiful Car" tell a story of a young man who was working part-time washing antique cars for his father when he was given permission to take one of the cars for a spin around the neighborhood. He chooses a baby blue '52 Roadstar, which he describes as a "beautiful car." However, his joyride is interrupted by the sound of fighting and the murder of the schoolmaster's son. The song then shifts to the present day, where the singer looks back at the events of that night and questions whether he should have intervened or done something to stop the violence. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "It was a beautiful car," emphasizing the contrast between the beauty of the car and the ugliness of the violence that took place that night.
The song is open to interpretation, but a possible theme that can be inferred from the lyrics is the contrast between beauty and violence. The baby blue Roadstar is presented as a beautiful object, but its beauty is juxtaposed with the violence and fear that the singer witnesses. The singer's reticence to intervene raises questions about the role of individuals in larger social issues, and whether the responsibility to act falls solely on those who are directly affected.
Overall, "Beautiful Car" is a poignant and thought-provoking song that uses vivid imagery and powerful storytelling to reflect on themes of beauty, violence, and individual responsibility.
Line by Line Meaning
I was washing antique cars
I was involved in washing old-fashioned and unique cars
Workin' part time for my dad after school
I was employed part-time by my father after school hours
When I got the go-ahead
When I was granted permission
To pick a car and spin around the neighborhood
To select a vehicle and drive several rounds through the locality
It was a baby blue '52 Roadstar
The car I chose was a 1952 Roadstar in a light blue color
It was a beautiful car
It was an aesthetically appealing car model
That was the night I heard the fighting
On that night I heard sounds of quarreling
And the murder of the schoolmaster's son
Additionally, someone killed the deceased son of the schoolmaster
Last year I asked him who he was afraid of
Recently, I inquired of whom the schoolmaster was scared of
And he answered, "Everyone"
He gave the response that he was scared of everyone
Well, did I even flinch a wrist?
Did I take any action or show any signs of feeling shocked?
Should I have tried to undo what had been done?
Ought I to have worked on reversing the finished act?
That's just the way it's gotta be
Declares that that's just the normal way things go
I should never have to worry myself none
I need not ever worry myself unduly
It was a baby blue '52 Roadstar
The car continues to be a 1952 light blue Roadstar model
It was a beautiful car
The vehicle remained an attractive car model
It was a beautiful car
It was again emphasized that it was an eye-catching car model
It was a beautiful car
Stating the beauty of the car again for emphasis
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind