"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.
Nina
Nina
Nobody knows where you’ve been
I looked everywhere
From the Arctic to the Argentine
Nina
Nina
Darling come darken my door
We had tougher times
But what we want to go there for
Every waking hour
Looking for a friend
Trying to get it started
Before we reach the end
Nina
Nina
All I asked for was goodbye
Now I’m driving ‘cross the desert
Watching lighting skip across the sky
Albert let’s not fight
I’ve been driving ‘cross West Texas all the night
When a storm came down upon me
Why you’re angry is beyond me
Is there something I could do to make it right
Albert you’re my man
Nobody can love me like you can
You’re coming around behind me
Lover don’t you try to find me
I’ll look you up when I think that you’ll understand
Albert Ronald Reagan died today
I pulled over to the side of the highway and I cried today
Black clouds hang above us
Does anybody love us
Nina
Nobody knows where you’ve been
I looked everywhere
From the Arctic to the Argentine
Nina
Nina
Darling come darken my door
We had tougher times
But what we want to go there for
Every waking hour
Looking for a friend
Trying to get it started
Before we reach the end
Nina
Nina
All I asked for was goodbye
Now I’m driving ‘cross the desert
Watching lighting skip across the sky
Albert let’s not fight
I’ve been driving ‘cross West Texas all the night
When a storm came down upon me
Why you’re angry is beyond me
Is there something I could do to make it right
Albert you’re my man
Nobody can love me like you can
You’re coming around behind me
Lover don’t you try to find me
I’ll look you up when I think that you’ll understand
Albert Ronald Reagan died today
I pulled over to the side of the highway and I cried today
Black clouds hang above us
Does anybody love us
Lyrics submitted by Riktiktav
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Silent Planet
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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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:
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“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.
Head > Heels
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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.
My name is Nina, so I might be a little biased towards liking this song. Haha, no, it's good! Joel is amazing! :)
Joel's anecdote for this song when he played it live was that as he was driving across the states to go record La De Da, a storm hit and he had to spend the night in a cheap hotel with paper thin walls. He heard the woman in the room next to him on the phone with her boyfriend, trying to convince him that she wasn't cheating on him. He gave them names (Nina and Albert) and wrote this song about them.
Mind you, the story was much more interesting when Joel told it because, well, he's Joel Plaskett.
:D