"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.
Don't be late
There's no time to be afraid
There's a way
To clean up the mess you made
If I could tell the truth
Or lie would I attempt to do at the same time
Expect you to apologize for trying
To make me so up tight
Don't say its just a game we play
I can't loose the taste
If you regulate how the blood is pumping
Through the veins from my heart into my brain
In time this blood supply
Will change me from red to white
Every thought that you know I'm thinking
Ay as well be the knife stuck in my back
This taxing fever makes me gravitate to this place
This is still my life
And yours to defy
Anyone in their right mind would ever let you inside
Anyone in their right mind
A broken ties with the neighborhood
A feeling like
From an empty glass
Of nothing good
And ___
Deciding as I wait for her to entertain
Careful not to (to breath in [3x])
The right time and the right way to elevate
Careful not to (to breath in [3x])
To breath in the air that so proudly puts to death
My own fathers name
I remember when your hand started shaking
There's a better way to clean up the mess you've been making
There's no time to be afraid
There's a way
To clean up the mess you made
If I could tell the truth
Or lie would I attempt to do at the same time
Expect you to apologize for trying
To make me so up tight
Don't say its just a game we play
I can't loose the taste
If you regulate how the blood is pumping
Through the veins from my heart into my brain
In time this blood supply
Will change me from red to white
Every thought that you know I'm thinking
Ay as well be the knife stuck in my back
This taxing fever makes me gravitate to this place
This is still my life
And yours to defy
Anyone in their right mind would ever let you inside
Anyone in their right mind
A broken ties with the neighborhood
A feeling like
From an empty glass
Of nothing good
And ___
Deciding as I wait for her to entertain
Careful not to (to breath in [3x])
The right time and the right way to elevate
Careful not to (to breath in [3x])
To breath in the air that so proudly puts to death
My own fathers name
I remember when your hand started shaking
There's a better way to clean up the mess you've been making
Lyrics submitted by lying eyes
In a Lose, Lose Situation Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
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/
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I'd like to say just how much i love all you guys who commented, and bands like Emery who work through music to promote God in a Godless place, and how much I love how God is such a loving, compassionate God, and no matter how bad we hurt, and how afraid we are, that music can bring us relieve