"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 I guess I'll treat her right
I guess I'll treat her right more this time
I'll try not to rely
Try not to rely on the perfect line
And I see no boundaries
Except for the ones I'm in
And I don't expect you to overcome them
For that's my job description
In a world of players and private eyes
Unless you realize this
There's a whole lot you could miss
Do you know which one I am
I am the cigarette smoking man
Once an hour I light the flower
And burn baby burn
When is it your turn
Lord tell me when the sun goes down
Cause I feel much better then anyway
Well I see much much better then anyway
Well I feel exposed
Although I feel at home
Dressed as a black plastic rose
All flowing head shoulders knees and toes
We dance, we dance, we play, we rant and rave
Oh this childlike wildlife is flooring me
Oh this childlike wildlife is flooring me
Early in the morning
Late in the evening
Evening, we kinda get delirious
Breaking from the seriousness
I try not to get disoriented
Having chewed too many up on my side
Is it any wonder how I missed your smile
Is it any wonder how I write
Pages layered upon pages
Which to no one else but me can be accounted for
For this moment's sake
I do not become me
For path, tunnels or straightaways
I do not watch as often as I should
So instead I sketch my life a comfortable creature
Slow and beautifully
Ooo, the smells and tastes of the past nights
Well, they're still locked up in my gentle jaw
Not that I am wanting them to go
Just that they are
And I'm very much aware
The madness of slow motion as you move your legs to walk
I'm very much aware
Of this madness when you talk
This childlike wildlife is flooring me
Oh this childlike wildlife is flooring me
We dance, we play
Oh lord, we rant and rave
We dance and we play always
I guess I'll treat her right more this time
I'll try not to rely
Try not to rely on the perfect line
And I see no boundaries
Except for the ones I'm in
And I don't expect you to overcome them
For that's my job description
In a world of players and private eyes
Unless you realize this
There's a whole lot you could miss
Do you know which one I am
I am the cigarette smoking man
Once an hour I light the flower
And burn baby burn
When is it your turn
Lord tell me when the sun goes down
Cause I feel much better then anyway
Well I see much much better then anyway
Well I feel exposed
Although I feel at home
Dressed as a black plastic rose
All flowing head shoulders knees and toes
We dance, we dance, we play, we rant and rave
Oh this childlike wildlife is flooring me
Oh this childlike wildlife is flooring me
Early in the morning
Late in the evening
Evening, we kinda get delirious
Breaking from the seriousness
I try not to get disoriented
Having chewed too many up on my side
Is it any wonder how I missed your smile
Is it any wonder how I write
Pages layered upon pages
Which to no one else but me can be accounted for
For this moment's sake
I do not become me
For path, tunnels or straightaways
I do not watch as often as I should
So instead I sketch my life a comfortable creature
Slow and beautifully
Ooo, the smells and tastes of the past nights
Well, they're still locked up in my gentle jaw
Not that I am wanting them to go
Just that they are
And I'm very much aware
The madness of slow motion as you move your legs to walk
I'm very much aware
Of this madness when you talk
This childlike wildlife is flooring me
Oh this childlike wildlife is flooring me
We dance, we play
Oh lord, we rant and rave
We dance and we play always
Lyrics submitted by DMBphan41
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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,
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.
wow.. he has an amazing voice much insight favorite part-- "i do not become me...." and "im very much aware of this madness when you talk" reminds me of someone i know..their madness floors me always
(This is a long shot because honestly I have no idea, but nevertheless:) I think it's about a competitive relationship in which both parties are intelligent and stubborn and unwilling to let go of rationality and emotionally/personally expose themselves to one another, before overcoming that. Meaning aside, I am SO IN LOVE with the constant "la dah dah DA-ah"s and such. Fabulous rhythm.
I interpret this as reflecting on a relationship, that even though it may have ended (the fact that the tempo changes seems to indicate something happened) but the person still serves as a muse, hence the "Is it any wonder why I write... pages layered upon pages".
I respect your interpretations, but I took a different approach. I think by the title, "Childlike Wildlife", Mraz is referring to the night life, or the club/concert-scene if you will. If you've ever been to a concert, well, you know could be compared to 'wildlife'. And it is rather 'childlike' because most clubs are filled with young people.
Mraz is reflecting on the madness of night life. It FLOORS him. Essentially, I feel this song is about being in a club and trying to find what makes you important and special enough to be noticed by a girl or group of people. You may say the wrong thing to a girl one night, but the next night, 'you'll treat her right next time and try not rely on the perfect line'. This song (or poem at this point) is the inner dialogue of someone in a world where most of the action is certainly happening outside.
Conceivably, I could go explain line by line, but I implore you make your own interpretation.
^what pbech says is correct, however, my orignal Romantic notion about this song was that Jason was having this wild, passionate fling with this 'bad girl'. I'd still like think of it as that.
This song is about the club/rave scene and drugs, more specifically ecstasy, and the resulting relationships with others and self... Currently, my favorite Jason song.