"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.
Losing sleep, in too deep
Fading sun, what have I done
Came so close to what I need most
Nothing left here
Cut the ties, uncovered disguise
Left behind all intertwined
Lost control, moved out of the role now
Nothing's left here
Leave it be
It was meant for me
Soul sacrifice
Forgot the advice
Lost track of time
In a flurry of smoke
Waiting anxiety
For a fair judgement deserved
Fading sun, what have I done
Came so close to what I need most
Nothing left here
Cut the ties, uncovered disguise
Left behind all intertwined
Lost control, moved out of the role now
Nothing's left here
Leave it be
It was meant for me
Soul sacrifice
Forgot the advice
Lost track of time
In a flurry of smoke
Waiting anxiety
For a fair judgement deserved
Lyrics submitted by open_veins
A Fair Judgement Lyrics as written by Mikael Lars Akerfeldt
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Sounds like this guy was having sex but forgot the condom... " Losing sleep, in too deep"
"Fading sun, what have I done " He ejaculates and realizes he's missing his condom
"left behind, all intertwined" well..you get the idea
"Forgot the advice, Lost track of time"
Hey, you never know...
KD pretty much got this one right. As much as they are death and rock, these guys are comedy geniuses
I think KD is right; I once read this interview with Åkerlund, and he said:
"A Fair Judgement is probably one the most enjoyable songs to play live. It's about once 6-7 years ago, I was on Istedgade in Copenhagen (Denmark, edit.) and Peter was already wasted as we've been drinking. I felt pretty lonely, so I went outside and rented some nice looking prostitute. Back in the appartement we were pretty good going, but the intercourse went to 'helvete' as we say in swedish. The lyrics pretty well sum it up. It was so embarassing, and I had to grow this weird-James Hetfield moustache from not being recognized again in Istedgade. Sieg Heil"
There you see
Great song btw, one of my Opeth favourites.
My interpretation is that it's about the battle between Nature and Man.
"Losing sleep, in too deep Fading sun, what have I done Came so close to what I need most Nothing left here"
He is speaking as if being all of Mankind, and after destroying so much of earth, the sun seems like it is fading, and nothing is left, since we destroyed it all in the pursuit of satisfying our greedy desires. Now, we can't rest, for we know the end is too near...
"Cut the ties, uncover disguise Left behind all intertwined Lost control, moved out of the role now Nothing's left here"
This is another part of this story on a more individual level: it's about how individuals (esp. world leaders) cause destruction and then cut him/herself (/themselves) off from it to not take any blame- an average human action. So many have done this, and now there's no going back...
"Leave it be It was meant for me Soul sacrifice Forgot the advice Lost track of time In a flurry of smoke Waiting anxiety For a fair judgement deserved"
Our souls have been sacrificed, and from everything destroyed (due to us not looking at how quickly the end could come), there is smoke and nothing left, only an inevitable end. We deserve to go with what we destroyed. This is a fair judgement by nature. No god caused it; we did it to ourselves.
It sounds to me like a person who made a big mistake and now hes paying for it. Although I think I am wrong :-S
I think it's about someone who did something wrong, but just failed doing so. They were caught, sent to prison, and finally executed. Anyway, this is quite possibly the most beutiful song I've ever heard.
I think this song is about someone who regretted something they did in their life, and are punishing themselves with shame and self-inflicted pain.
KD, im sure thats not what its about, i think its about the end of times, just like 444 said above
I win
thanks to me
Yeah....right.....Åkerlund said that....whoever he is. I should email Mikael ÅKERFELDT and ask him if its true or not. I dont know if you know this or not, but mikaels married...i doubt he'd write a song about someone he screwed while he was married..