"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.
A straw headed woman
and a barrel chested man.
A pocket full of posies
and a hat brim full of sand.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
A dog chasing the tumbleweeds
across the sandy floor.
Adrift along the platform
through the ticket office door.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
But don't tell me there's nothing coming,
you don't fool me.
I hear the ghost train rumbling
along the track to set them free.
And I hear them
It's black and white don't try to hide it.
It's black and white don't try to hide it.
The Stationmaster's writing
with a piece of orange chalk.
A hundred cancellations
still noone wants to walk.
Keep the hungry children
From the skeletons in the van.
Aim to keep an eye out
for the gypsy caravan
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
I hear the ghost train rumbling
along the track to set them free.
And I hear them
It's black and white don't try to hide it.
(Repeat)
and a barrel chested man.
A pocket full of posies
and a hat brim full of sand.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
A dog chasing the tumbleweeds
across the sandy floor.
Adrift along the platform
through the ticket office door.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
But don't tell me there's nothing coming,
you don't fool me.
I hear the ghost train rumbling
along the track to set them free.
And I hear them
It's black and white don't try to hide it.
It's black and white don't try to hide it.
The Stationmaster's writing
with a piece of orange chalk.
A hundred cancellations
still noone wants to walk.
Keep the hungry children
From the skeletons in the van.
Aim to keep an eye out
for the gypsy caravan
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
Ooh oo-oo-oh,
waiting for the train that never comes.
I hear the ghost train rumbling
along the track to set them free.
And I hear them
It's black and white don't try to hide it.
(Repeat)
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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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This was one of the last songs before they split up (only to reform). It reflects them drifinting apart, and finally realising it, "It's black and white, don't try to hide". Also I think "A hundred cancellations, still no one wants to walk" signifys the tension that was present, that they blamed each other. Just my two cents!