"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.
Well she's walking through the clouds
With a circus mind
That's running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairly tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding the wind
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles
She gives to me free
It's alright, she says
It's alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on, little wing
With a circus mind
That's running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairly tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding the wind
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles
She gives to me free
It's alright, she says
It's alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on, little wing
Lyrics submitted by , edited by albertoespn
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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,
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.
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms.
“Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.
hmmm, I think it's about his mom. Since she died when he was so young
I believe it is about all the women (or perhaps just one) that come into your life that you love with all your heart and soul but for whatever reason you have to set free. Perhaps because you are a wanderer and they are not... Perhaps her dreams do not coincide with your own... or a myriad of reasons... So you set her free... She will go on her way without you, but she will always be a part of you. She is your Little Wing. Her memory alone lifts you. I have a girl in my life just like this. I love her with all my being, but i know we can't be together. And i want nothing but her to be happy.
@Its2BeXped This is exactly what I feel listening to this song. Time goes by and you're fine however you're not really fine but you just have to live with it and accept reality. <br /> Maybe the song is just about that memory - "Her memory alone lifts you." <br /> It makes me sad and happy at the same time.
This song is really cool, kinda ballady. The lyrics look as if she's in his head, like a guardian angel. Hendrix was often slightly out of it wen he wrote songs tho so mayb thats where the ideas come from ;-)
Love and psychedelia, that's what this song is about. :D
This song is really cool, kinda ballady. The lyrics look as if she's in his head, like a guardian angel. Hendrix was often slightly out of it wen he wrote songs tho so mayb thats where the ideas come from ;-)
my post is backed by an interview with jimi yall. this song is about how he had relationships with dozens of the most coveted women on earth of his time(lucky bastard)...anyway, about these girls he said "they're all one girl to me" and this is the concept of little wing. she has to fly on cause they both want to have sex with other people but what they experienced is implied to have been great nonetheless. so it wasn't like they were prostitutes...just free love bandaids or groupies..hehe. FUCK 50 cent, jimi is the eternal black pimp, and the pimp of all nationalities as well.
@Atemporal ummmm black pimp??? Jimi was alive during the "Love generation" many people if not most of these people growing up during this time had sex with many... Jimi Hendrix was a staple in what could be done with the guitar he was like the albert Einstein of physics to the physics of the guitar ....BB King without a doubt had sex with just as many if not more women then Hendrix all the same <br /> It has nothing to do with the color of the mans skin but the time and period they experienced ...<br /> are you experienced ?
@steve10357 i think you are 13 years to late
is it about his guitar maybe...
@lisfub could be ...
We all have mind and body, but both are not more real than our spirit. We often think that our inspiration comes from the mind, of reason, which in most true, but the more successful is our creation, we realize that it comes from the soul, where the spirit is housed.
For this reason I will interpret the meaning of this song from a different perspective, from a biblical perspective, known to every spirit.
The first paragraph corresponds to a metaphorical description of an innocent woman in a place something like the garden of paradise. This is Eve in the Garden of Eden, before sin.
The second and last paragraph represents a repentant Adam, after having tasted the tree of knowledge, being comforted by an Eve who recognizes her guilt.
As we know Adam and Eve represent respectively the spirit of every man and woman today. The actions described in the Bible committed by both we still keep making them even today.
This song teaches us that we must recognize that we are born children of God, Who is our Father, that we were made in His image and likeness, but even if we fall into the temptation of the enemy, we must be aware that it is our sin that leads to spiritual death, which is why we must repent, to achieve forgiveness and eternal life.
With that said, with reason could be his mother or any casual girl in his life, but from spiritually view, is really a REMINDER of our own status before judgement.
LSD
Does anyone else think this is about marijuana or some type of drug? I mean C'mon, It does make sense! "Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams and fairly tails" (Probably the effect of the drug, or a methephor for how it feels like) ... "When I'm sad, she comes to me" (He used drugs when he was sad) "With a thoushand smiles she gives to me free" (how the drug makes you feel like) "Take anything you want from me"... I don't really think I have to explain much if you're in this context alredy...