"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.
When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion
Forgive us our cynical thoughts
If we need too much attention
Not content with being cool
We must throw ourselves wide open
And start acting like a fool
If we need too much approval
Then the cuts can seem too cruel
Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts
It's true that love can change us
But never quite enough
Sometimes we are too tender
Sometimes we're too tough
If we get too much attention
It gets hard to overrule
So often fragile power turns
To scorn and ridicule
Sometimes our big splashes
Are just ripples in the pool
Feelings run high
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion
Forgive us our cynical thoughts
If we need too much attention
Not content with being cool
We must throw ourselves wide open
And start acting like a fool
If we need too much approval
Then the cuts can seem too cruel
Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts
It's true that love can change us
But never quite enough
Sometimes we are too tender
Sometimes we're too tough
If we get too much attention
It gets hard to overrule
So often fragile power turns
To scorn and ridicule
Sometimes our big splashes
Are just ripples in the pool
Feelings run high
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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,
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
This song is really just about the complications of love. You have to take risks when you reveal how you feel to someone. There is that chance that they don't feel the same way and that can be painful.
"So often fragile power turns to scorn and ridicule." Very often relationships start out gentle and loving and end so very terribly.
I'll attempt to pick this song piece for piece.
"When we lift the covers from our feelings We expose our insecure spots Trust is just as rare as devotion-- Forgive us our cynical thoughts"
This is pretty obvious. When you express your feelings you show your emotional weaknesses, and it is hard to trust someone to share your feeling with. So forgive us when we don't want to express our feelings.
"If we need too much attention -- Not content with being cool We must throw ourselves wide open And start acting like a fool"
Perhaps this means that if you want attention, sometimes you will have to risk being "cool".
"If we need too much approval Then the cuts can seem too cruel"
However, if you want to be cool, then getting laughed at or insulted will be very harsh.
"Right to the heart of the matter Right to the beautiful part Illusions are painfully shattered Right where discovery starts In the secret wells of emotion Buried deep in our hearts"
This is probably talking about your true emotions.(the beautiful part) And when you discover who you really are, the illusion of yourself is painfully shattered. To find yourself though, you'll have to dig deep into your heart.
"It's true that love can change us But never quite enough Sometimes we are too tender Sometimes we're too tough"
When you find true love, you can be changed but not enough to become a new person. You'll always be too passive or too dominate.
"If we get too much attention It gets hard to overrule So often fragile power turns To scorn and ridicule Sometimes our big splashes Are just ripples in the pool"
If you get too much attention and want to be less famous, it'll be hard. So often your fragile power turns on you and you'll get insulted. In the end, your big moments are just small events in the big picture.
It seems like Rush has two different "stories" going on to show the difference between who you truly are and what you try to be.
Can't seem to find an edit button. I would like to reword "So often your fragile power turns on you and you'll get insulted." into <br /> <br /> "So when you try to back down, your unstable fame will turn against you and you'll get insulted."
Yeah, this song is straight up about love and the risks / complications involved. Come on, when you first meet someone you are just imagining who you think they are. You WILL come to find that they are not that perfect person that you hoped and imagined they were. In the last part it states that love can change us but never quite enough. If you fall in love with someone and intend on changing them, it will not work. They will always be who they are for the most part. :)
Illusions illusions are painfully shattered. When he says this he is not just repeating himself. We each try to put up an illusion of how we want to be perceived. Everyone has their own illusion about who we really are. Sometimes you can never see through both of these to learn who someone IS!
Can't really figure out the true message in the song but Neil Peart makes some great observations - "Illusions are painfully shattered right where discovery starts" - isn't that the truth eh?
wow only 1 comment this is a kick ass song ,i really have no idea on the meaning but its a awesome song ,so i thought id just say that
The meaning isn't clear to me. I just love the line "Sometimes our big splashes, Are just ripples in the pool".
The only section that I can make heads or tails out of is the first verse. I think it's saying that you must take certain risks -- giving up you reputation of being cool, and start acting a little silly. Not caring what other people think of you. As long as you are happy with who you are, that's all that matters. I could be way off, but that's what I see in that first verse.