"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.
Ten thousand years or more
In jet black meditation
Sonic temptress hears no more
And hands me my salvation
Walking through the piles of life
Ignore all accusation
Now I stand here hands are sore
But that's my motivation
The vision never died
The earthling walked in flight
Ten thousand years or more
In jet black meditation
Now I stand here hands are sore
But that's my reputation
In jet black meditation
Sonic temptress hears no more
And hands me my salvation
Walking through the piles of life
Ignore all accusation
Now I stand here hands are sore
But that's my motivation
The vision never died
The earthling walked in flight
Ten thousand years or more
In jet black meditation
Now I stand here hands are sore
But that's my reputation
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I think this song is about playing guitar.
10,000 years or more In jet black meditation - Getting high and playing guitar for hours, losing track of time.
Sonic Tempress hears no more And hands me my salvation - His playing is rewarded with noteriety
Walking thru the piles of life Ignore all accusation - Everyday people trying to bring you down for doing what you love IE "put down the guitar and get a job"
Now I stand here hands are sore But thats my motivation - Again with the guitar playing
The vision never died The earthling walked in flight - He kept true to what he wanted to play
It's about the fall of man and the loss of integrity, purpose and identity(black meditation) as a whole. Sore hands are a metaphore for that which was lost after the fall, and that some still hold the standard integrity(salt of the earth/chosen few) of a lost age in humanity.