"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.
We got to do our alma matter, we must do our alma matter
When I was a little bitty boy
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Hmm, and then mama took me to grammar school
But I stopped off in the vestibule
Every time that bell would ring
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, that is beautiful
You know what I heard, I heard
I heard two girls over here singing in harmony, that's all right, honey
This is a free country, live like you wanna live, baby!
Yeah, ain't nobody gonna knock it, doll, mm-mm
Yeah, freedom
Yes sir, there's one guy right over here singin' "mine" too, that's all right, brother!
Yes sir, you got a right, baby, ain't nobody gonna bother you, tell you
Once I was climbing the garden wall
I slipped and had a terrible fall
I fell so hard I heard bells ring
But held on to my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Hmm, you know that's future parliament out there singin'?
Oh yeah! (yeah!)
Hmm, once I was swimming 'cross turtle creek
Man, them snappers all around my feet
Sure was hard swimming 'cross that thing
With both hands holding my ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
That's so beautiful
I think it's a beautiful little song, really I do
And guess what, everybody's still not singing
There's a few right down front here that's not singing
We're gonna dedicate this verse to those who will not sing, yes sir
Hmm, this here song it ain't so sad
The cutest little song you ever had
Those of you who will not sing
You must be playing with your own ding-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, your own, ding-a-ling, your own ding-a-ling, we saw you playing with your ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, everybody sing, I want to play with my, everybody
My ding-a-ling, oh, my, ding-a-ling
Slow down, I want to play, everybody, with my ding-a-ling!
When I was a little bitty boy
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Hmm, and then mama took me to grammar school
But I stopped off in the vestibule
Every time that bell would ring
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, that is beautiful
You know what I heard, I heard
I heard two girls over here singing in harmony, that's all right, honey
This is a free country, live like you wanna live, baby!
Yeah, ain't nobody gonna knock it, doll, mm-mm
Yeah, freedom
Yes sir, there's one guy right over here singin' "mine" too, that's all right, brother!
Yes sir, you got a right, baby, ain't nobody gonna bother you, tell you
Once I was climbing the garden wall
I slipped and had a terrible fall
I fell so hard I heard bells ring
But held on to my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Hmm, you know that's future parliament out there singin'?
Oh yeah! (yeah!)
Hmm, once I was swimming 'cross turtle creek
Man, them snappers all around my feet
Sure was hard swimming 'cross that thing
With both hands holding my ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
That's so beautiful
I think it's a beautiful little song, really I do
And guess what, everybody's still not singing
There's a few right down front here that's not singing
We're gonna dedicate this verse to those who will not sing, yes sir
Hmm, this here song it ain't so sad
The cutest little song you ever had
Those of you who will not sing
You must be playing with your own ding-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, your own, ding-a-ling, your own ding-a-ling, we saw you playing with your ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, everybody sing, I want to play with my, everybody
My ding-a-ling, oh, my, ding-a-ling
Slow down, I want to play, everybody, with my ding-a-ling!
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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”
Mountain Song
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I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Chuck Berry was of the fathers of rock and roll, with no particular place to go, roll over beethoven, memphis tennessee etc. This is just sell out schmaltz, its selling point being every verse has the same lame double entendre about masturbating. It demonstrates well that the pop charts have always been populated with crap, as this was his only number 1.