"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.
Our buildings have fallen
Our walls all caved in,
And we can't comprehend this sad state
That we're in so we sift through the ashes
Of what we've become and surrender
Here one by one, so push us down
And we get right back up again
The things you're telling me aren't making any sense
Right back up again
I'm sick of wishing for someone else to come
Let the blind lead the blind
'Cause it's eye for an eye in your so called life
Are you out there? are you listening?
Is there something we're still missing?
Let the blind lead the blind,
'Cause it's eye for an eye, we all fall down
And we get right back up again,
The things you're telling me aren't making any sense
Right back up again
I'm sick of wishing for someone else to come
We're spinning out of control
We're trying to find somewhere to land
And I don't want you to know
The things that keep me down
We get right back up again
Our walls all caved in,
And we can't comprehend this sad state
That we're in so we sift through the ashes
Of what we've become and surrender
Here one by one, so push us down
And we get right back up again
The things you're telling me aren't making any sense
Right back up again
I'm sick of wishing for someone else to come
Let the blind lead the blind
'Cause it's eye for an eye in your so called life
Are you out there? are you listening?
Is there something we're still missing?
Let the blind lead the blind,
'Cause it's eye for an eye, we all fall down
And we get right back up again,
The things you're telling me aren't making any sense
Right back up again
I'm sick of wishing for someone else to come
We're spinning out of control
We're trying to find somewhere to land
And I don't want you to know
The things that keep me down
We get right back up again
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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"
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.
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Before I say anything else, this is my interpretation only and I pulled this out of my ass, so this is not official by any means.
DT9832, I think you're on to something with 9/11. Rise Against is a somewhat political group (what punk band isn't?) and they've likely got something to say. After the attacks the devastation was enormous and people were confused and scared ("we can't comprehend the sad state that we're in") so they were willing to surrender to the freedom-limiting government reforms ("surrender here one by one"). The message is that the way to truly win in this is with infinite resolve ("so push us down and we get right back up again"). The title Broken English and the line "the things you're telling me aren't making any sense" would be about the reaction to the attacks (reducing rights with sweeping anti-terrorism legislation and launching bombs) and how they feel these tactics don't make sense.
The most creative line in the song is "so let the blind lead the blind, cause it's eye for an eye" which takes two well known cliched concepts and ties them together. By fighting fire with fire (eye for an eye) we become blind (Ghandi's saying, "an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind"), and those blind in turn lead the blind "in your so called life" (expressing that he does not agree).
This is the real interesting part of interpreting songs, because all these things could be metaphors for a relationship and I could be way off. But it's great when songs are this way...it can mean something different to everyone. Either way, great song, great band.