Cutlass was written shortly after a friend of mine committed suicide. He put his heart and soul into restoring a '71 Oldsmobile Cutlass. I am sure that he had many other issues weighing on his mind as well, but wrecking it threw him over the edge. He was at least able to drive the car home and park it in his garage one last time.

The song has more to do with my own suicidal fantasies and my longing to not burn out, but fade away. The lines asking "Will you take me back?" are often misinterpreted as a jilted man asking to reenter a relationship. They actually are the character talking to God and asking if it's ok to come back early.