"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 step down into sand
Water carries us from here
I'm fightin' this assignment
I'm wishin' we fall into the well
I'm wishin' we fall into the world
I missed your Monotone
I missed you... Far Away...
Whatever the thing that set you up
Set you off and down again
Until he's spared no reason
What he doesn't know
Could fit inside a thimble
Water carries us from here
I'm fightin' this assignment
I'm wishin' we fall into the well
I'm wishin' we fall into the world
I missed your Monotone
I missed you... Far Away...
Whatever the thing that set you up
Set you off and down again
Until he's spared no reason
What he doesn't know
Could fit inside a thimble
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
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 this is one of the better songs off of the new album, if not the best.
what does it mean though?
this is a pretty song,
and i also live in syracuse, ny.
i really want to find out why this song is titled syracuse. syracuse is the crappiest city ever.
Hardly makes any sense to me, but still a beautiful song.
I'm pretty sure it's the Greek city of Syracuse... not Syracuse NY... I know this because I too am from Syracuse NY this song always reminds me of leaving home for that reason... as far as what the song acutally means I know Archimedes was born in Syracuse Greece and maybe that's where the line "(What he doesn't know Could fit inside a thimble)" comes from because he was a genius...
It's definitely about the Greek city of Syracuse in Sicily. I think it actually deals with the Roman storming of the city. When they had taken control of Syracuse, the Roman commander Marcellus ordered Archimedes brought to him alive. Archimedes was engrossed in a problem and refused, and enraged soldier killed him because of this.
The monotube part is sort of oblique, but it's basically an engineering device that works on a principle similar to what Archimedes discovered about buoyancy and displacement in his bath tub.
Granted, there is certainly more going on to this song as well.
This song is incredible live.
I read in an interview that Rob and Zach write their lyrics seperately for a given song and just sing their respective parts. It's really easy to see that in this song.
none of their songs make any sense whatsoever period. why am i even drawn to these songs if the lyrics are so inexplicable? who knows, music is music. daaaamn straight.
i always thought it was "i missed your monotone"