"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.
There was a time when stillness meant nothing to me.
Once, silence meant lack of sound; Fall came once a year.
I danced, redcheeked, each year's first snow,
tongue out to taste each flake's welcome sting.
I laughed, distinct from nature's cycles,
A scrap of wonder, floating in a torrent of sorrow I couldn't grasp.
That laugh, mouth open, sums up my past.
I craved fulfillment, too shallow to know
I could never be fully filled again.
Here we are and it's open. I lay her down in the glow (half of creation's
destruction). Replaced the moon and the stars with candles. Black and Grey
is to drown, when yesterday
Fades (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed, please find Silence.
Fade (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed please find Silence,
Everything's shallow, we're chasing ourselves beneath a stone,
I am covered in make-up that won't wash away beneath a stone.
We are joy. I was just a boy. Goodnight.
Beauty scar, powdered make-up, melting eyes, smile of bone. I replaced the
moon and the stars with candles. We are all the same when everything
Fades (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed, please find Silence.
Fade (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed please find Silence,
Everythingüs shallow, we're chasing ourselves beneath a stone,
I am covered in make-up that won't wash away beneath a stone.
We are joy, so take my hand.
Sing inside the shadows she surrounds the love I hid. The beating of a god
that won't let go. I know, Black and Grey is to drown in yesterday.
We are joy, so take my hand.
Once, silence meant lack of sound; Fall came once a year.
I danced, redcheeked, each year's first snow,
tongue out to taste each flake's welcome sting.
I laughed, distinct from nature's cycles,
A scrap of wonder, floating in a torrent of sorrow I couldn't grasp.
That laugh, mouth open, sums up my past.
I craved fulfillment, too shallow to know
I could never be fully filled again.
Here we are and it's open. I lay her down in the glow (half of creation's
destruction). Replaced the moon and the stars with candles. Black and Grey
is to drown, when yesterday
Fades (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed, please find Silence.
Fade (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed please find Silence,
Everything's shallow, we're chasing ourselves beneath a stone,
I am covered in make-up that won't wash away beneath a stone.
We are joy. I was just a boy. Goodnight.
Beauty scar, powdered make-up, melting eyes, smile of bone. I replaced the
moon and the stars with candles. We are all the same when everything
Fades (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed, please find Silence.
Fade (through broken glass). Hate (what I've become).
Enclosed please find Silence,
Everythingüs shallow, we're chasing ourselves beneath a stone,
I am covered in make-up that won't wash away beneath a stone.
We are joy, so take my hand.
Sing inside the shadows she surrounds the love I hid. The beating of a god
that won't let go. I know, Black and Grey is to drown in yesterday.
We are joy, so take my hand.
Lyrics submitted by xxpsilocybin
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
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“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.
this is probably a stretch, but edgar allen poe wrote a short story, "the fall of the house of usher", and in it a man unintentionally buries his twin sister, whose named is Lady Madeline, alive. but other than the name of the character and the references to the grave, i don't see many connections.
the song, to me, sounds like a boy mourning a girl he was very close to. she died, not in the sense that she is passed away or got killed, but in that something changed her and now she's not the same person to him anymore.
the reason why i agree with the vampire idea is because at the beginning, the girl is looking back upon her life as a human and reflecting upon how innocent and naive she used to be.
and then there's the line "The beating of a god that won't let go" which implies that she can't die, even if she wanted to.
because of the contant reference to "we" as in "we are all the same when everything Fades" or "we're chasing ourselves beneath a stone," the boy is a vampire too.
after considering all this, and noting the song's bitter tone this is what i think happened... the boy turned into a vampire. but he didn't want to be immortal all alone, so he sought out a girl that was special to him when he was human and turns her into a vampire too.
but being immortal still wasn't great. everything was "shallow." and in the process of becoming a vampire, the girl lost her innocence. the boy hates himself for what he has done, for what he can't fix.
but they're immortal. they can't die. they only thing they can do is to continue to exist and to try to make the best of eternity, hence the line "we are joy, so take my hand."
blaargh. over-analysis. :]