"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 walk along the street
I look into your eyes
I'm pleasant when we meet
I'm there when you go home
How many times before
Could you tell I didn't care?
When you turned your back on me
I knew we'd get nowhere
Do you believe in youth
The history of all truth
A heart that's left at home
Becomes a heart of stone
Do you believe in truth, ooh
The lies we told of youth
A cause we call our own
Beside an empty throne
How many times before
Could you tell I didn't care?
When you reached out in your sleep
And you knew I wasn't there
My eyes are made of stone
Just like your sordid home
How many times before
Did you leave my soul alone?
I look into your eyes
I'm pleasant when we meet
I'm there when you go home
How many times before
Could you tell I didn't care?
When you turned your back on me
I knew we'd get nowhere
Do you believe in youth
The history of all truth
A heart that's left at home
Becomes a heart of stone
Do you believe in truth, ooh
The lies we told of youth
A cause we call our own
Beside an empty throne
How many times before
Could you tell I didn't care?
When you reached out in your sleep
And you knew I wasn't there
My eyes are made of stone
Just like your sordid home
How many times before
Did you leave my soul alone?
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
It's about an attempt to relinquish a relationship from youth, where one person left the other. It seems like the person who wanted it was constantly wronged by the other in previous attempts at the relationship, so now when the other person wants it, they don't. Perhaps they thought they did, and then realized that time doesn't always take away the pain, and just couldn't deal with it. Stuff like this never works, so I've gotta say I definitely agree with the idea of this song.