"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.
I'm in a wide open space, I'm standing
I'm all alone and staring in to space
It's always quiet through my ceiling
The roof comes in and crashes in a daze
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
I'm on the top of a hill, I'm lonely
There's someone here to shout to miles away
I could be back at my house, for I care
They do not hear me, it's the same old case
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
Wide open space, I'm standing
I'm all alone and staring in to space
It's always quiet through my ceiling
The roof comes in and crashes in a daze
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
I'm all alone and staring in to space
It's always quiet through my ceiling
The roof comes in and crashes in a daze
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
I'm on the top of a hill, I'm lonely
There's someone here to shout to miles away
I could be back at my house, for I care
They do not hear me, it's the same old case
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
Wide open space, I'm standing
I'm all alone and staring in to space
It's always quiet through my ceiling
The roof comes in and crashes in a daze
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
I'm in a wide open space, it's freezing
You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face from me
I'm in a wide open space, I'm staring
There's something quite bizarre I cannot see
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
the perfecto remix is pretty stunning if you like this song ... not usually a fan of dancehead remixes but they've done Mansun proud out in clubland.
funky song. i quite like it.
One of their best anthems. From personal experience i would say 'in my opinion' there is a definite mental health/opiate addiction issue being expressed. Music being another art form can mean many things to many people.
best song ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this song is so underrated. i love it and the video, especially at the end.
Or if you listen to it with the rest of the album (UK version of course) you could add that it is about the vicar. Paul also said that he wrote this sound to reach out to his fans, let them know how he felt at the time.. he said something like that. Read so many interviews and I don't feel like looking up exactly when/where he said what...
This is such a cool song. The kind you would listen too when you're feeling spaced out and realizing Mansun is talking about everything you're feeling at that low point of your life
i think itsone of the best songs mansun ever did. i dont quite know what the meaning is though. its just a good song.
I think this song is about lonliness...like nothing out there ever was.
It seems to be describing being lonly in a wide open space, open to everything and recieving nothing, or being effected by nothing since there is "Something quite bizzarre I cannot see" Or not attempting to grab life by the horns or take an oportunity. "I'm on the top of a hill...." Feeling as though there is no reason to even attempt to do anything because you're afraid.
I kind of figured this since he said "You'll never get to heaven with a smile on your face" like saying only true human suffering offers redemption.
I dunno, I guess I have a lot of ideas of what it means.
their best song. I love it
someone's whose a bit of a loner as things stand, it's always quiet on his own. saying to others there's nothing you can beat him on in his arrorgance. won't do well in life with a smile for him. wicked track. Bizzare it is