"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.
When I first came to this island
That I called by my own name
I was happy in this fortress
In my exile I remained
But the hours grew so empty
And the ocean sent her waves
In the figure of a woman
And she pulled me out to sea
Oh oh when you come down to take me home
Oh oh send my soul away
Oh oh when you come round you'll make me whole
Oh oh send my soul away
On the altar of a sunrise
Was a wedding in the waves
And inside her shown a young light
From her labor I was saved
Though I've traveled long in darkness
In her harvest I'm embraced
Oh oh when you come down to take me home
Oh oh send my soul away
Oh oh when you come round you'll make me whole
Oh oh send my soul away
Now the spires and gables
Grow in orchards to the sky
And the blessings on the table
Multiply and divide
Oh oh when you come down to take me home
Oh oh send my soul away
Oh oh when you come round you'll make me whole
Oh oh send my soul away
Yeah, when you come down to take me home
When you come round you'll make me whole
When you come round to take me home
Send my soul away
Send my soul away
Send my soul away
Send my soul away
That I called by my own name
I was happy in this fortress
In my exile I remained
But the hours grew so empty
And the ocean sent her waves
In the figure of a woman
And she pulled me out to sea
Oh oh when you come down to take me home
Oh oh send my soul away
Oh oh when you come round you'll make me whole
Oh oh send my soul away
On the altar of a sunrise
Was a wedding in the waves
And inside her shown a young light
From her labor I was saved
Though I've traveled long in darkness
In her harvest I'm embraced
Oh oh when you come down to take me home
Oh oh send my soul away
Oh oh when you come round you'll make me whole
Oh oh send my soul away
Now the spires and gables
Grow in orchards to the sky
And the blessings on the table
Multiply and divide
Oh oh when you come down to take me home
Oh oh send my soul away
Oh oh when you come round you'll make me whole
Oh oh send my soul away
Yeah, when you come down to take me home
When you come round you'll make me whole
When you come round to take me home
Send my soul away
Send my soul away
Send my soul away
Send my soul away
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
1 more day. Just one more day. This song rocks! I have not heard one bad song yet. I love Audioslave!
TOM MORELLO RULES!!!!!!!!!!!
I know right <br /> BEST GUITAR PLAYER EVER!!!
While I don't entirely understand this song, I'll try my best. Obviously you could take it as he has found his love and blah blah blah, but I'll try for something underneath it.
It's obvious that Cornell dating back to his Soundgarden days has never been the most upbeat guy. But you can tell from this album that he has more positive things to write about and it proves that life gets better with age. I think this song talks about his life as a musician, how it may have saved him from a lot of bad things, how it has become one incredible journey, and how "the blessings on my table multiply and divide" now that he has made it in the industry for the SECOND time.
Perhaps her is the music, I could be off, but it's worth a shot.
And this is the best song on the album.
awesome awesome song !!
I like this song lots, but my fav has to be 'yesterday or tommorow' keepin it mellow baby oh and Heavons dead
Man! How good is this new album? But this song seriously kicks ass. I think its about Cornell looking for a person to share his life with. SAying that he's sick of being by himself. Anyways thats how i take it, so i dont really care if I'm wrong lol. Cyaz
yeah i dont know why some people are disappointed with this album. I thought Chris Cornell was married though and has kids. Like after Soundgarden broke up, he went solo and "went into exile" so to say, as the first verse says "When I first came to this island, that I called by my own name." I see that as him going solo. Maybe the song is about his marriage and then having kids and stuff, getting him out of exile, and not lonely. Or maybe the whole wedding reference is just a metaphor and maybe it's about him meeting up with the guys from Rage and making this fresh new band.
Three Words... Audioslave Kicks Ass......
Seriously look around and listen.... we are in the midst of some of the best music to be coming out since the ninties....
Audioslave, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Staind, Pearl Jam (hopefully) I know i am forgetting alot of them but I am so fucking happy..... Audioslave Rocks my Fucking Socks!!!!
How it seems to me: It is clear the singer is in exile... either in seclusion from others or just simply in exile within himself (mentally I guess).
The part that I am trying to pick at to further understand the song is when he mentions "labor" and being saved by it. I started to consider possible analogies between birth itself and these lyrics, but I couldn't get very far with that. Hopefully more people post on this song soon.
FYI: spires and gables are structures or formations, such as a steeple, that tapers to a point at the top.
(I would think he is somehow referencing Churches there.)
The fourth single already off OOE. I love this song almost as much as Your Time.
i read an interview with audioslave, and cc said that this song is about his wife being pregnant and giving birth to a child. i cant remember what else was said about it, but yeah, thats the gist.