"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Sitting at a bus stop
Trying to take my shoes off,
But my laces are all knots and you
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
Made it to the trolley
Looking for my transfer
Cause the place is full of cops and you
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
Late at the station
Feeling all wound up
Got to walk several blocks past you.
Try to read a t-shirt,
Thinks that I'm a pervert.
Sorry, wasn't getting fresh, but
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
There in front of me.
It's there in front of me.
It's there in front of me.
It's there in front of me.
Sitting at a bus stop
Trying to take my shoes off,
But my laces are all knots and you
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
Made it to the trolley
Looking for my transfer
Cause the place is full of cops and you
( You take my seat again)
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it ( You take my seat)
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
Here to my house
In no seconds
Count the footsteps
Count the seconds
Near my house
In no seconds
Count the footsteps
Count the seconds
Trying to take my shoes off,
But my laces are all knots and you
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
Made it to the trolley
Looking for my transfer
Cause the place is full of cops and you
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
Late at the station
Feeling all wound up
Got to walk several blocks past you.
Try to read a t-shirt,
Thinks that I'm a pervert.
Sorry, wasn't getting fresh, but
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
There in front of me.
It's there in front of me.
It's there in front of me.
It's there in front of me.
Sitting at a bus stop
Trying to take my shoes off,
But my laces are all knots and you
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
Made it to the trolley
Looking for my transfer
Cause the place is full of cops and you
( You take my seat again)
Looking for an answer to an old question
So easy I can't explain it ( You take my seat)
And everything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway.
You take my seat again
You take my seat again
Here to my house
In no seconds
Count the footsteps
Count the seconds
Near my house
In no seconds
Count the footsteps
Count the seconds
Lyrics submitted by fadedplasticflowers
Concrete Seconds Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
DEFINITELY one of the best pinback songs. Now that I'm thinking about it, i think he's having an encounter with an old flame on a bus or a trolley or a train, and she's asking about what happened between them and he doesn't want to be having the converstaion at all, so the seconds feel "concrete," weighty and long. He'd obviously like to explain, but just can't ("anything i say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway,") And he's close to being home and getting away from her ("near my house, in no seconds" and "its there in front of me) and the anticipation of leaving the bus/trolley/train is really getting to him.
Yeah that might be completely out there, but it's a great song and i really love Pinback. :o)
Certain parts are a reference to the play "Waiting for Godot". In the play two characters do meaningless things while they wait for a man named Godot, who never shows. Among the things they do to kill time is fooling with their shoe laces.
The play is an existentialist work about waiting for answers instead of seeking them, which seems to be what the song is also trying to relate.
There's also the line "everything I say to you is going to come out wrong anyway," which is one of the foundations of existentialism -- the inability to successfully communicate.
this song reminds me of my ex. this song brought tears to my eyes when i heard it, a guy played it for me. this resulted in me buying the cd immediatly!! this song reminds me of how no matter how much i struggle or did struggle to identify with my ex's complexly self destructive self, i never would understand...cuz he doesn't understand himself. and it reminds me of all the times i "took his seat"...but after the talking, arguing,etc....things were always perfect in the silence, the "concrete seconds".
John Carpenter has, tongue in cheek, described "Dark Star" as "'Waiting for Godot' in space."
I fell in love with this song when I was driving home at night. It added to this worderful idyllic moment. I love the line "Anything I say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway." It reminds me of every bumbling crush I've ever had.
yeah, someone needs to fix where it says "everything i say to you will probably come out wrong anyway" when its "anything i say to you is gonna come out wrong anyway". excellent song, though.
this song is awesome. it's one of the best pinback songs.
dealing with the never ending presence of past relationships and problems. trying to get on with your life and be at peace with the past but always being reminded of the way that things havent worked out.
Im really not sure what this song means... especially about the whole reference thing to Waiting for Godot. Idk though... all i know is that the person they're waiting for in that play is God, and I dont know if this song is about waiting for God.
It's about a bad breakup. That she moved on but he can't. He's still upset, and things just get in the way of his thoughts, making them cloudy and unclear.