"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.
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become
My sweetest friend?
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become
My sweetest friend?
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I will keep myself
I would find a way
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become
My sweetest friend?
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become
My sweetest friend?
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I will keep myself
I would find a way
Lyrics submitted by i_am_spartacus, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Hurt Lyrics as written by Trent Reznor
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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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,
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
According to an interview with his daughter at youtube.com/watch. "Cash stared his own mortality right in the face." Although the song was originally written by Trent Reznor of NIN, Cash obviously related to the song in a very real way and June assisted him as he prepared his family for the video. The following is my interpretation...Johnny Cash was suffering with Diabetic Neuropathy, which is an extremely painful and progressive disease. The pain manifests as a burning pain that feels as though your extremities, usually the legs and feet, are on fire. It is a result of nerve damage caused by Diabetes. Another complication of Diabetic Neuropathy is numbness of the toes and eventually the feet. However, the burning "nerve pain" is still there. You could cut your toe open and wouldn't know it because there is no feeling. To me this song represents that Johnny Cash was suffering. May he rest peacefully now. The pain is gone.
I hurt myself today, (cut my toe, maybe) to see if I still feel, ( Is it numb yet? ) I focus on the pain, ( It burns so bad. It's all I can think about. ) the only thing that's real,
The needle tears a hole, ( Diabetic Shots Daily) the old familiar sting, try to kill it all away, (Try not to think about it ) but I remember everything,
what have I become, my sweetest friend, ( June Cash Carter ) everyone i know, goes away in the end, ( Everyone is mortal and will die, he knew he was dying )
and you could have it all, (He would give up all of his material possesions if it would alter the course) my empire of dirt,
I will let you down, (Because I am going to die) I will make you hurt, ( and you are going to hurt )
I agree with "DillyNews 02-21-2009" regarding good nature(Superego)and evil nature(Id)for the following verse;
I wear this crown of thorns, upon my liars chair, full of broken thoughts, I cannot repair, ( we've all done and said things we cannot change )
beneath the stains of time, ( A marriage that has lasted for many years has gone through many changes) the feelings dissapear, you are someone else, I am still right here, ( But, we love each other and I am still right here )
if I could start again, a million miles away, I will keep myself, ( Does this mean he will sing again or just stay true to hiself? ) I would find a way,
Wow. Great analysis.