"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.
Smiling as he speaks of death
destroying lives unknown
Killing 'til his final breath
Protecting his fallen throne
March of the chamber of gas
The line to end their lives
As they die he starts to laugh
Last thing heard are cries
We have fought together side by side
Killing humans as they die
Burning souls once filled with life
Now they're filled with pain and strife
Prisoner of one man's hate
Now facing their final day
Try to reach their wired gate
Who has their god saved?
Running from the brightened light
Shots fired as comrades fall
Without guns they cannot fight
Death for one and all
They storm the gates on hopes to be free
Many trampled in the frenzied flee
Many fall as machine guns roar
See yourself, but now as a bloody corpse
Escape for you is nothing but a dream
The bullets rip your flesh as you scream
Your final breath is spent on cursed cries
The tortured lives of Hitler take to the sky
Is violence the way to get a point across?
If you don't get your way, it's your own loss
Don't try to force people to see your way
You shoot people down, someday you'll pay
A large racial barrier, when will it break?
Blacks aren't dumb, whites made the mistake
Like to kill them, but they wouldn't dare
They'll shoot back, what's fair is fair
destroying lives unknown
Killing 'til his final breath
Protecting his fallen throne
March of the chamber of gas
The line to end their lives
As they die he starts to laugh
Last thing heard are cries
We have fought together side by side
Killing humans as they die
Burning souls once filled with life
Now they're filled with pain and strife
Prisoner of one man's hate
Now facing their final day
Try to reach their wired gate
Who has their god saved?
Running from the brightened light
Shots fired as comrades fall
Without guns they cannot fight
Death for one and all
They storm the gates on hopes to be free
Many trampled in the frenzied flee
Many fall as machine guns roar
See yourself, but now as a bloody corpse
Escape for you is nothing but a dream
The bullets rip your flesh as you scream
Your final breath is spent on cursed cries
The tortured lives of Hitler take to the sky
Is violence the way to get a point across?
If you don't get your way, it's your own loss
Don't try to force people to see your way
You shoot people down, someday you'll pay
A large racial barrier, when will it break?
Blacks aren't dumb, whites made the mistake
Like to kill them, but they wouldn't dare
They'll shoot back, what's fair is fair
Lyrics submitted by shadowwiththeeyes
Reich of Torture Lyrics as written by L. Evans B. Treadway
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mountain Song
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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."
I Can't Go To Sleep
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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.
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Obviously it's about racism, comparing white racists in Amerika now to Nazis.
"We have fought together side by side Killing humans as they die " --- This is a refference to how blacks were used largely as cannon fodder and human shields when Amerikans fought in wars. (Watch the SouthPark movie)
"Who has their god saved?" --- About how blacks were forcibly converted to Christianity so they'd be easier to control and put in their place.
The lst 2 verses talk about how blacks had to fight to get any kind of freedom, and how a lot of the supposed "freedom" and racial/religious equality in the US actually stems from the fear of the majority (basically, white christians) of the minorities.