"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.
The night is on my mind
The sun'll still shine
But the night is on my mind
So parlay while I drop this rhyme
See, Jake be gettin illy when the sun get dark
He be coming out for heads but shit don't let me start
There's activities a-plenty in the nighttime
For the ghetto child it seem to be the right time
See, kids be getting stuck with jewels and fly gimmicks
Shorty see the action and then start to mimic
Running to the corner, the dice game is blazing
Looking at the loot, it seems so amazing
Puts the short down, to be exact one pound
He shakes the stones in his hand, then he lets it down
Scared money don't make none
He threw a trick on the ace now he's out son
Hits the local bodega to wolf down a gyro
Son is on a midnight run like De Niro
Spots a shorty rock standing on his block
The fiends be hounding him to pump so he asked it it's not
Conversation that he kicked to the shorty was a sly one
Increased intensity, 'cause damn she was a fly one
Took her to the crib there she ran her jibs
About mind upliftment and being positive
He yawned and he sighed 'til 1:05
Then he finally realized that honey wasn't live
At least he didn't plan on building for the evening
Threw the Fila on the dome and said, "Come on yo, we leaving"
Came out on the scene as he told her to beep him
Saw his man Stan with the blunt in his hand
(Ah sh-) You know the transaction
Brothers gettin' lost in the weed satisfaction
Coming down the block man loud as
You would swear Redman was inside the truck
As the night seemed darker, cops is on a hunt
They interrupt your cipher, and crush your blunt
See you left your work at home so they pat you down for nothing
Why in the hell does 10-4 keep fronting?
You push to the park even though it's still dark
The kid is nice on the hoop, he said, "I'll spot you troop"
The night is on my mind
The sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind
The night is on your mind
Ayo the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind
As for me I'm a nocturnal animal, God concentrates
On a young black man who makes the niggas speakers shake
The nighttime is busy, it's word to Aunt Kizzy
It's the time we get down, yo son, you know the sound
The flavas on the top with the rugged beat to back it
The night makes the aura and the Jake can't hack it
The way the moon dangles in the midnight sky
And the stars dance around, ayo, I think it's fly
Intensity, most rappers don't see it
Spirit wise, musically, you gotta be it
Serenity and silence of the sounds and emotions
In the concrete jungle and the sun don't bungle
I think it's hard to find the words on how I feel
I paid about a deuce twenty for the Ampex steel
But let me slow down, I think I ran my jibs enough
Peace out to the Nation, stay rugged and rough
The night is on my mind
The sun'll still shine
Ha, The night is on my mind
The night is on my mind
The night is on my mind
Yeah, The sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind
Uh huh, the night is on my mind
The night is on your mind
You know the sun'll still shine
But now, the night is on the mind
Yeah, the night is on the mind
The night is on the mind
Ayo, the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on the mind
Yeah, the night is on the mind
The night is on the mind
Ayo, the sun'll still shine
Did you know that the rate of aids
In the black and hispanic community
Is rising at an alarming rate?
Education is proper means for slowing it down
The sun'll still shine
But the night is on my mind
So parlay while I drop this rhyme
See, Jake be gettin illy when the sun get dark
He be coming out for heads but shit don't let me start
There's activities a-plenty in the nighttime
For the ghetto child it seem to be the right time
See, kids be getting stuck with jewels and fly gimmicks
Shorty see the action and then start to mimic
Running to the corner, the dice game is blazing
Looking at the loot, it seems so amazing
Puts the short down, to be exact one pound
He shakes the stones in his hand, then he lets it down
Scared money don't make none
He threw a trick on the ace now he's out son
Hits the local bodega to wolf down a gyro
Son is on a midnight run like De Niro
Spots a shorty rock standing on his block
The fiends be hounding him to pump so he asked it it's not
Conversation that he kicked to the shorty was a sly one
Increased intensity, 'cause damn she was a fly one
Took her to the crib there she ran her jibs
About mind upliftment and being positive
He yawned and he sighed 'til 1:05
Then he finally realized that honey wasn't live
At least he didn't plan on building for the evening
Threw the Fila on the dome and said, "Come on yo, we leaving"
Came out on the scene as he told her to beep him
Saw his man Stan with the blunt in his hand
(Ah sh-) You know the transaction
Brothers gettin' lost in the weed satisfaction
Coming down the block man loud as
You would swear Redman was inside the truck
As the night seemed darker, cops is on a hunt
They interrupt your cipher, and crush your blunt
See you left your work at home so they pat you down for nothing
Why in the hell does 10-4 keep fronting?
You push to the park even though it's still dark
The kid is nice on the hoop, he said, "I'll spot you troop"
The night is on my mind
The sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind
The night is on your mind
Ayo the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind
As for me I'm a nocturnal animal, God concentrates
On a young black man who makes the niggas speakers shake
The nighttime is busy, it's word to Aunt Kizzy
It's the time we get down, yo son, you know the sound
The flavas on the top with the rugged beat to back it
The night makes the aura and the Jake can't hack it
The way the moon dangles in the midnight sky
And the stars dance around, ayo, I think it's fly
Intensity, most rappers don't see it
Spirit wise, musically, you gotta be it
Serenity and silence of the sounds and emotions
In the concrete jungle and the sun don't bungle
I think it's hard to find the words on how I feel
I paid about a deuce twenty for the Ampex steel
But let me slow down, I think I ran my jibs enough
Peace out to the Nation, stay rugged and rough
The night is on my mind
The sun'll still shine
Ha, The night is on my mind
The night is on my mind
The night is on my mind
Yeah, The sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind
Uh huh, the night is on my mind
The night is on your mind
You know the sun'll still shine
But now, the night is on the mind
Yeah, the night is on the mind
The night is on the mind
Ayo, the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on the mind
Yeah, the night is on the mind
The night is on the mind
Ayo, the sun'll still shine
Did you know that the rate of aids
In the black and hispanic community
Is rising at an alarming rate?
Education is proper means for slowing it down
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Hayalperest
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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