"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.
There is a town in this great nation that stands for liberty,
It deserves a great ovation for its true democracy.
Every citizen is equal, their brothers stand side by side,
And these happy smiling people are the nation's joy and pride.
Oh, they got great big hearts in Little Rock, that All-american town,
And they're very smart in Little Rock, their schools will never shut down!
And it's shoulder to shoulder their citizens stand,
respecting the laws of the Ku Klux Klan!
Well, they got great big hearts in Little Rock, that All-American town!
Bon voyage new Titanic, you're the greatest ship on the sea!
Bon voyage new Titanic, say hello to the Statue of Liberty!
To issue a safe crossing is unthinkable,
Because I know what you are costing, you'd better be unsinkable!
Oh, it's bon voyage new Titanic,
I'm so lucky to be sailing with you!
It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
When the Hindenburg lands today.
Well, the band will start to play,
and the people will shout "hooray"!
When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
All the way from Germany coming to us,
We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
When the Hindenburg lands today!
Congradulations, President Nixon, we knew your time would come,
We are proud you could fix 'em, it was plain Kennedy was mush too young.
The minority religions will just have to wait,
Your experience will show in the great debate,
And if by chance you should lose it, and the unions and the pinkos
come through,
Well, don't despair, Mr. Nixon, California is a waiting for you!
It deserves a great ovation for its true democracy.
Every citizen is equal, their brothers stand side by side,
And these happy smiling people are the nation's joy and pride.
Oh, they got great big hearts in Little Rock, that All-american town,
And they're very smart in Little Rock, their schools will never shut down!
And it's shoulder to shoulder their citizens stand,
respecting the laws of the Ku Klux Klan!
Well, they got great big hearts in Little Rock, that All-American town!
Bon voyage new Titanic, you're the greatest ship on the sea!
Bon voyage new Titanic, say hello to the Statue of Liberty!
To issue a safe crossing is unthinkable,
Because I know what you are costing, you'd better be unsinkable!
Oh, it's bon voyage new Titanic,
I'm so lucky to be sailing with you!
It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
When the Hindenburg lands today.
Well, the band will start to play,
and the people will shout "hooray"!
When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
All the way from Germany coming to us,
We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
When the Hindenburg lands today!
Congradulations, President Nixon, we knew your time would come,
We are proud you could fix 'em, it was plain Kennedy was mush too young.
The minority religions will just have to wait,
Your experience will show in the great debate,
And if by chance you should lose it, and the unions and the pinkos
come through,
Well, don't despair, Mr. Nixon, California is a waiting for you!
Lyrics submitted by weezerific:cutlery
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Fast Car
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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.
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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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Page
Ed Sheeran
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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.