"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.
Don't admit you're sick
Let your fit body bury it
The faintness that you feel is nothing permanent
Don't buy the sickness on TV
You want the health, they want the fee
You see the adds and start to think, "I feel it coming on."
No no target market television
Telephonevangelism
Symptom finger
I'm gonna shut it off
Gonna down all the power
I'm a doctor today
I'm curing viewers by thousands
Don't admit you're sick
Let your fit body bury it
The faintness that you feel is nothing permanent
You open up and let them in
It's nothing conscious
What is this?
I feel a burning in my eye
It's from the television lights
Slow slow it down, wait, now decide
Okay, I'm gonna shut it off
Down all the power
I'm a doctor today
I'm curing viewers by thousands
Do you have to get the shit they sell?
The pills that fix the way you feel
Now that they've shown you what to get
You feel it coming on
Low, low, lowdown high paid
Primetime capsule maker
Sickness lover
I'm gonna shut if off
Down all the power
I'm a doctor today
I'm curing viewers by thousands
Let your fit body bury it
The faintness that you feel is nothing permanent
Don't buy the sickness on TV
You want the health, they want the fee
You see the adds and start to think, "I feel it coming on."
No no target market television
Telephonevangelism
Symptom finger
I'm gonna shut it off
Gonna down all the power
I'm a doctor today
I'm curing viewers by thousands
Don't admit you're sick
Let your fit body bury it
The faintness that you feel is nothing permanent
You open up and let them in
It's nothing conscious
What is this?
I feel a burning in my eye
It's from the television lights
Slow slow it down, wait, now decide
Okay, I'm gonna shut it off
Down all the power
I'm a doctor today
I'm curing viewers by thousands
Do you have to get the shit they sell?
The pills that fix the way you feel
Now that they've shown you what to get
You feel it coming on
Low, low, lowdown high paid
Primetime capsule maker
Sickness lover
I'm gonna shut if off
Down all the power
I'm a doctor today
I'm curing viewers by thousands
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
this song is just talking about mass media advertisments and the hypochondriac in us all
great song. great lyrics. great to dance to.
if you like the song check this one:
youtube.com/watch
i'm gonna shut it off down all the power i'm a doctor today i'm curing viewers by thousands
that really stands out for me, I love it and this song.
i feel a burning in my eyes it's from the television lies slow, slow it down, wait now decide
i really like this couplet...
symptom finger is a totally under-rated Faint song.
i agree way under-rated
this is my favorite part
you've gotta get the shit they sell the pills that fix the way you feel now that they've shown you what to get you feel it coming on
i'm gonna shut it off down all the power i'm a doctor today i'm curing viewers by thousands
fav part..fav song
THIS SONG KICKS ASS..
i love dancing to it.. and i makes me so happy
wow, thought it was "i'm KILLING viewers by thousands". Doesn't really change the meaning tho. Where's my remote? click
I completely agree that this song is under-rated, it deserves more attention! Although I must admit I was a bit put off by the croaking frog aw-whoa-whoa-oh-whoa-whoa-oh-whoa-oh's at first. Now I've grown to love them.