"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.
Oh simple girl
Oh foolish man
Trying to bend these lovers rules
Into a simple plan
Oh aching bones on sleepless bed
They toss and turn and roll away
From words unsaid
It's just that all that you were
Was all I could want
Now I can't trust your lover's tongue
Except to tease and taunt
It's been said best by you
Been said best before
But I just want to let you know
I don't love you anymore
Sad wakes alone
Cradling the phone
Knows that sullen silence
Is the meanest way to moan
But all that you were
Was all that I had
And we could not find a simple way
To work that simple plan
Oh aching bones
Oh sleepless bed
Toss, turn and roll
Away from words unsaid
It's been said best by you
Been said best before
But I just want to let you know I don't
Love you anymore
I just want to let you know
I don't love you anymore
Oh foolish man
Trying to bend these lovers rules
Into a simple plan
Oh aching bones on sleepless bed
They toss and turn and roll away
From words unsaid
It's just that all that you were
Was all I could want
Now I can't trust your lover's tongue
Except to tease and taunt
It's been said best by you
Been said best before
But I just want to let you know
I don't love you anymore
Sad wakes alone
Cradling the phone
Knows that sullen silence
Is the meanest way to moan
But all that you were
Was all that I had
And we could not find a simple way
To work that simple plan
Oh aching bones
Oh sleepless bed
Toss, turn and roll
Away from words unsaid
It's been said best by you
Been said best before
But I just want to let you know I don't
Love you anymore
I just want to let you know
I don't love you anymore
Lyrics submitted by aliforsale
Don't Love You Lyrics as written by David Sitek Babatunde O Adebimpe
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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,
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.
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.
i think that by summing up the idea of falling in love by calling it "a simple plan" is meant to be contradictory, because a relationship is anything but that. maybe tunde once went into a relationship with expectations of how a relationship should be and in the process of building his relationship things start falling apart. he shows that by comparing the past to the present: It's just that all that you were Was all I could want Now I can't trust your lover's tongue and maybe as time went by he started to "fall out of love" as he blunty states throughout the song: i dont love you anymore
i agrre with the above commenty entirely
this song is sumptuous
I see it as a after the breakup song. Notice the past tence on "all that you were, was all I could want" To me its a song after the breakup with the second verse meaning that hes waiting for her to call, but she won't. "knows that sullen silence is the meanest way to moan". So he can't sleep and finally stops loving her.
I don't know, maybe he does see love as a simple thing, simple things aren't necessarily easy, especially when people make them complicated.
"Trying to turn these lover's rules into a simple plan"
Note that he says 'these lover's rules' refering to the groundwork laid out by the individuals in the relationship. Maybe relationships are only difficult when the two individuals aren't really suited to one another.
Anyway, the song is definatley about falling out with a lover, but I like the way he uses the concept of nothing in the lyrics:
"It's been said best by you Been said best before"
and
"But all that you were Was all that I had"
I don't know, maybe he does see love as a simple thing, simple things aren't necessarily easy, especially when people make them complicated.
"Trying to turn these lover's rules into a simple plan"
Note that he says 'these lover's rules' refering to the groundwork laid out by the individuals in the relationship. Maybe relationships are only difficult when the two individuals aren't really suited to one another.
Anyway, the song is definatley about falling out with a lover, but I like the way he uses the concept of nothing in the lyrics:
"It's been said best by you Been said best before"
and
"But all that you were Was all that I had"
I think that the song is about a guy whose girl left him and now he waits up hopelessly for her to call again..
"It's been said best by you Been said best before But I just want to let you know I don't Love you anymore"
I think that the last two lines in that are what the girl had said to him to cause him to be in such a restless state. he cant believe that she doesnt love him anymore.
The words that are unsaid is what he wants to tell her to let her know he still loves her, but he cant bring himself to say it
I think that the song is about a guy whose girl left him and now he waits up hopelessly for her to call again..
"It's been said best by you Been said best before But I just want to let you know I don't Love you anymore"
I think that the last two lines in that are what the girl had said to him to cause him to be in such a restless state. he cant believe that she doesnt love him anymore.
The words that are unsaid is what he wants to tell her to let her know he still loves her, but he cant bring himself to say it