"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 just sittin' here playin' the guitar
City High-i-i
Claudette and 'Clef
Excuse me if you see me screamin'
But deep in my mind
I'm only dreamin'
'Cuz if I wake girl and you're
Not by my side
I feel like half of me
Is no longer alive
So please, shorty
Before you walk out that door, boopy
Would you listen to my song
If only, I'd give you one last chance (One last chance)
With the devil you can no longer dance
You've got to be faithful
So we can be fruitful
Build a family and follow God's destiny
So just before I run to the block, Papi
I might listen to your song
Ooh, before you walk out that door
Listen
They say two wrongs don't make it right
(Don't make it right)
So if I'm wrong I ain't tryin' to fight
I'm tryin' to have some dinner with some candlelight
Lay up in the bed and make love all night
(So papi I won't leave baby I'll just stay)
(But promise me that you'll do the same)
Girl I'ma love you like I never loved you
(Touch me like you never touched me)
Girl if you give me the chance
Girl I'm gonna show you
Now baby, understand
That I forgive you
But I ain't gonna forget
That you brought me regret
Baby, baby, baby, baby
But I have grown
From a thug to a man
Built my castle with bricks
And no longer with sand
And just, before I run to the block, baby
I might listen to your song
Ooh, before you walk out that door
Listen
They say two wrongs don't make it right
(Don't make it right)
So if I'm wrong I ain't tryin' to fight
I'm tryin' to have some dinner with some candlelight
Lay up in the bed and make love all night
(So papi I won't leave baby I'll just stay)
(But promise me that you'll do the same)
Girl I'ma love you like I never loved you
(Touch me like you never touched me)
Girl if you give me the chance
Girl I'm gonna show you
I'm so used to the pain that I
Can't see the sunshine no more
I'm so used to the pain that the
Love sickness feels like the cure
But if only you gave me
The keys to your soul and let me in
I'm gonna love you over
(Over)
And over (over) again
Yea, yea, yea, yea, yea, yea, yea
They say two wrongs don't make it right
(Don't make it right)
So if I'm wrong I ain't tryin' to fight
I'm tryin' to have some dinner with some candlelight
Lay up in the bed and make love all night
(So papi I won't leave baby I'll just stay)
(But promise me that you'll do the same)
Girl I'ma love you like I never loved you
(Touch me like you never touched me)
Girl if you give me the chance
Girl I'm gonna show you
I ain't gonna stand on the block no more
I'm gonna come home early girl, I promise
City High-i-i
Claudette and 'Clef
Excuse me if you see me screamin'
But deep in my mind
I'm only dreamin'
'Cuz if I wake girl and you're
Not by my side
I feel like half of me
Is no longer alive
So please, shorty
Before you walk out that door, boopy
Would you listen to my song
If only, I'd give you one last chance (One last chance)
With the devil you can no longer dance
You've got to be faithful
So we can be fruitful
Build a family and follow God's destiny
So just before I run to the block, Papi
I might listen to your song
Ooh, before you walk out that door
Listen
They say two wrongs don't make it right
(Don't make it right)
So if I'm wrong I ain't tryin' to fight
I'm tryin' to have some dinner with some candlelight
Lay up in the bed and make love all night
(So papi I won't leave baby I'll just stay)
(But promise me that you'll do the same)
Girl I'ma love you like I never loved you
(Touch me like you never touched me)
Girl if you give me the chance
Girl I'm gonna show you
Now baby, understand
That I forgive you
But I ain't gonna forget
That you brought me regret
Baby, baby, baby, baby
But I have grown
From a thug to a man
Built my castle with bricks
And no longer with sand
And just, before I run to the block, baby
I might listen to your song
Ooh, before you walk out that door
Listen
They say two wrongs don't make it right
(Don't make it right)
So if I'm wrong I ain't tryin' to fight
I'm tryin' to have some dinner with some candlelight
Lay up in the bed and make love all night
(So papi I won't leave baby I'll just stay)
(But promise me that you'll do the same)
Girl I'ma love you like I never loved you
(Touch me like you never touched me)
Girl if you give me the chance
Girl I'm gonna show you
I'm so used to the pain that I
Can't see the sunshine no more
I'm so used to the pain that the
Love sickness feels like the cure
But if only you gave me
The keys to your soul and let me in
I'm gonna love you over
(Over)
And over (over) again
Yea, yea, yea, yea, yea, yea, yea
They say two wrongs don't make it right
(Don't make it right)
So if I'm wrong I ain't tryin' to fight
I'm tryin' to have some dinner with some candlelight
Lay up in the bed and make love all night
(So papi I won't leave baby I'll just stay)
(But promise me that you'll do the same)
Girl I'ma love you like I never loved you
(Touch me like you never touched me)
Girl if you give me the chance
Girl I'm gonna show you
I ain't gonna stand on the block no more
I'm gonna come home early girl, I promise
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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wow this is such a great song. i love how you can hear in wyclef's voice the excitement that she's willing to atleast listen to his song when he says, "oh before you walk out that door, listen." it's cute :)
and the missing word from that one line is "regret." the lyric reads, "but i aint gonna forget that you brought me regret."