"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 got green and I got blues
And everyday there's a little less difference between the two
I belly-up and disappear
Well I ain't really drowning 'cause I see the beach from here
And I could take a Greyhound home but when I got there it'd be gone
Along with everything a home is made up of
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take all of what you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
Sister, listen to what your daddy says
Don't be ashamed of things that hide behind your dress
Belly-up and arch your back
Well I ain't really falling asleep, I'm fading to black
And you could come to me by plane, but that wouldn't be the same
As that old motel room in Texarkana was
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take all of what you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
Stop me if you've heard this one before
A man walks into a bar and leaves before his ashes hit the floor
Stop me if I ever get that far
The sun's a desperate star that burns like every single one before
And I could find another dream
One that keeps me warm and clean
But I ain't dreamin' anymore, girl, I'm waking up
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take everything you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
All I got is this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
All I got is this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
All I got is this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
And everyday there's a little less difference between the two
I belly-up and disappear
Well I ain't really drowning 'cause I see the beach from here
And I could take a Greyhound home but when I got there it'd be gone
Along with everything a home is made up of
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take all of what you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
Sister, listen to what your daddy says
Don't be ashamed of things that hide behind your dress
Belly-up and arch your back
Well I ain't really falling asleep, I'm fading to black
And you could come to me by plane, but that wouldn't be the same
As that old motel room in Texarkana was
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take all of what you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
Stop me if you've heard this one before
A man walks into a bar and leaves before his ashes hit the floor
Stop me if I ever get that far
The sun's a desperate star that burns like every single one before
And I could find another dream
One that keeps me warm and clean
But I ain't dreamin' anymore, girl, I'm waking up
So I'll take two of what you're having and I'll take everything you got
To kill this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
All I got is this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
All I got is this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
All I got is this goddamn lonely, goddamn lonely love
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Yeah, this is one of those songs that is so damned moving yet it's hard to put a finger on what it's supposed to be about. I guess it's one of those "it can mean whatever you want it to mean" kinda songs, I guess.
I just take it as he's got this love, but he knows he can't ever do anything with it. He can't make it be what it once was, so he's just stuck with it. The only thing he knows to do about it is just drink it away, even if it means drinking himself away in the process.