"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.
We could never be friends...
Never be friends...
[Verse 1]
Yeah though I walk through the valley of death
Vest on, Teflon nine poached in my Hurricane sweats
Black chrome my shoulder, Big Will ‘till it's over
He never got to see me put black chrome on the Rova
Reading your obituary, wishing we never met
So I wouldn't have to shed tears or wake up in cold sweats
Lookin' at this bottle of Hennessy wishing you never left
Wishing I chased your Monte Carlo down and gave you my vest
Or better yet... I wish they never let you out
And I never got that phone call tellin' me that you out
Wish you never signed the release form
I wouldn't have had to clear this sample
Or use this track to say rest in peace for him
You wanted to know if Dre and Em felt you?
They did, before I could tell you somebody killed you
I feel pain for everybody that ever knew the real you
Call Nas let him know I got an Ill Will too
[Chorus - x2]
My nigga, if you look at me, nigga
Could you see things clearer?
My nigga, who are you?
You are my nigga
If you know where you headed
Then you who you are and why you did the things you did
You are my nigga
[Verse 2]
Niggas politicin' wanna know why I'm rhymin' different
My best friend got murdered, nigga my mind is different
If you ain't never spent no time in prison
You can't understand these bars or the lines I'm spittin'
Niggas rilin' me up, let's go find a victim
I can't do it homie, that's the reason Shyne in prison
And through divine intervention
Ten plus years doing crime in the trenches
Multiply by the time we spent in the kitchen
It's a life worth of hard livin', Cuban cigar tippin'
Twelve grade ditchin', purple serve by the jar sippin'
If you lost a homie you know friendship is God given
I done seen the church so much you'd think I was born Christian
I done seen more dead bodies than a mortician
Seen niggas in and out of county blues like they was born crippin'
So I'ma keep on livin'
Cause when I'm gone niggas ain't gonna do shit
But fuck my bitch and poor liquor
[Chorus - 2x]
My nigga, if you look at me, nigga
Could you see things clearer?
My nigga, who are you?
You are my nigga
If you know where you headed
Then you who you are and why you did the things you did
You are my nigga
[Verse 3]
What if you was me
And you had to sit through an entire funeral
While the Pastor readin' your homeboy's eulogy
I'm already dead
What the fuck you gonna do to me?
Keep talking shit, I'll empty my clip in that G-Unit tee
Gimme a minute to say my grace with God
I'll see your face in the mirror, I came a long way to talk
And tell you your Moms is missing you
Your Pops is missing you
Just saw your baby pictures in your Grandmother's living room
Face is missing you homie
Wink is missing you
Thank God you left us memories and songs to listen to
VALE is missing you
The hood is missing you
Let my son graduate high school
And I'mma come visit you
The world is missing you
Eminem was feeling you
Dre said he felt your vibe the little time we spent with you
Pour the Henny out cuz he ain't here in the physical
They say real men don't cry
But nigga I'm missing you
[Chorus - 2x]
My nigga, if you look at me, nigga
Could you see things clearer?
My nigga, who are you?
You are my nigga
If you know where you headed
Then you who you are and why you did the things you did
You are my nigga
Never be friends...
[Verse 1]
Yeah though I walk through the valley of death
Vest on, Teflon nine poached in my Hurricane sweats
Black chrome my shoulder, Big Will ‘till it's over
He never got to see me put black chrome on the Rova
Reading your obituary, wishing we never met
So I wouldn't have to shed tears or wake up in cold sweats
Lookin' at this bottle of Hennessy wishing you never left
Wishing I chased your Monte Carlo down and gave you my vest
Or better yet... I wish they never let you out
And I never got that phone call tellin' me that you out
Wish you never signed the release form
I wouldn't have had to clear this sample
Or use this track to say rest in peace for him
You wanted to know if Dre and Em felt you?
They did, before I could tell you somebody killed you
I feel pain for everybody that ever knew the real you
Call Nas let him know I got an Ill Will too
[Chorus - x2]
My nigga, if you look at me, nigga
Could you see things clearer?
My nigga, who are you?
You are my nigga
If you know where you headed
Then you who you are and why you did the things you did
You are my nigga
[Verse 2]
Niggas politicin' wanna know why I'm rhymin' different
My best friend got murdered, nigga my mind is different
If you ain't never spent no time in prison
You can't understand these bars or the lines I'm spittin'
Niggas rilin' me up, let's go find a victim
I can't do it homie, that's the reason Shyne in prison
And through divine intervention
Ten plus years doing crime in the trenches
Multiply by the time we spent in the kitchen
It's a life worth of hard livin', Cuban cigar tippin'
Twelve grade ditchin', purple serve by the jar sippin'
If you lost a homie you know friendship is God given
I done seen the church so much you'd think I was born Christian
I done seen more dead bodies than a mortician
Seen niggas in and out of county blues like they was born crippin'
So I'ma keep on livin'
Cause when I'm gone niggas ain't gonna do shit
But fuck my bitch and poor liquor
[Chorus - 2x]
My nigga, if you look at me, nigga
Could you see things clearer?
My nigga, who are you?
You are my nigga
If you know where you headed
Then you who you are and why you did the things you did
You are my nigga
[Verse 3]
What if you was me
And you had to sit through an entire funeral
While the Pastor readin' your homeboy's eulogy
I'm already dead
What the fuck you gonna do to me?
Keep talking shit, I'll empty my clip in that G-Unit tee
Gimme a minute to say my grace with God
I'll see your face in the mirror, I came a long way to talk
And tell you your Moms is missing you
Your Pops is missing you
Just saw your baby pictures in your Grandmother's living room
Face is missing you homie
Wink is missing you
Thank God you left us memories and songs to listen to
VALE is missing you
The hood is missing you
Let my son graduate high school
And I'mma come visit you
The world is missing you
Eminem was feeling you
Dre said he felt your vibe the little time we spent with you
Pour the Henny out cuz he ain't here in the physical
They say real men don't cry
But nigga I'm missing you
[Chorus - 2x]
My nigga, if you look at me, nigga
Could you see things clearer?
My nigga, who are you?
You are my nigga
If you know where you headed
Then you who you are and why you did the things you did
You are my nigga
Lyrics submitted by indefeat
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
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/
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.