"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.
Can you just give me a second please?
I would like to give my testimony
How the Lord has met my every need
How he saved me, made me holy
If you want to know the reason why
I gave it all, this life's no longer mine
How He made a way kept me alive
Well, listen close as I testify
You don't know like I know
You can't tell it like I can tell it
Everything the Lord has done for me so
That you understand, I'm just gonna say it
(What matter of love is this)
(That the Father gives to us)
How he saved my soul
I want the world to know
So know I sing
Just want to sing His praise
Loving kindness everyday
Faithfulness that come my way
I'm gonna clap my hands
Please excuse me if I start to dance
'Cause His love is true, His mercies new
He's been so good to me
He didn't have to do it but I'm glad He did
Saved me from my sin
That old life is gone and new life lives within
(Of all the things that I could, I write a song)
I knew I couldn't go wrong
If I sang of His goodness all day long
You don't know like I know
You can't tell like I can tell it
Everything the Lord has done for me so
That you understand I'm just gone say it
(I cannot live my life without Him)
I made no excuse, if I get a little crazy
In Him I live and more
So know I sing
Just want to sing His praise
Loving kindness everyday
Faithfulness that come my way
I'm gonna clap my hands
Please excuse me if I start to dance
'Cause His love is true, His mercies new
He's been so good to me
So clap your hands this evening
Come on y'all said it's alright
Move a little this evening
Come on y'all I said it's alright
Who the Son sets free
You know is free indeed, you're free
You've got the need to be praisin'
I would like to give my testimony
How the Lord has met my every need
How he saved me, made me holy
If you want to know the reason why
I gave it all, this life's no longer mine
How He made a way kept me alive
Well, listen close as I testify
You don't know like I know
You can't tell it like I can tell it
Everything the Lord has done for me so
That you understand, I'm just gonna say it
(What matter of love is this)
(That the Father gives to us)
How he saved my soul
I want the world to know
So know I sing
Just want to sing His praise
Loving kindness everyday
Faithfulness that come my way
I'm gonna clap my hands
Please excuse me if I start to dance
'Cause His love is true, His mercies new
He's been so good to me
He didn't have to do it but I'm glad He did
Saved me from my sin
That old life is gone and new life lives within
(Of all the things that I could, I write a song)
I knew I couldn't go wrong
If I sang of His goodness all day long
You don't know like I know
You can't tell like I can tell it
Everything the Lord has done for me so
That you understand I'm just gone say it
(I cannot live my life without Him)
I made no excuse, if I get a little crazy
In Him I live and more
So know I sing
Just want to sing His praise
Loving kindness everyday
Faithfulness that come my way
I'm gonna clap my hands
Please excuse me if I start to dance
'Cause His love is true, His mercies new
He's been so good to me
So clap your hands this evening
Come on y'all said it's alright
Move a little this evening
Come on y'all I said it's alright
Who the Son sets free
You know is free indeed, you're free
You've got the need to be praisin'
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.