"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.
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Dreams are only half alive
And they never feel quite right
They disappear tomorrow
And never work themselves out in spite
I held the world, I had it all
I gave it up to break a fall
But now, for then, I’m back again
And all the same
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don’t wanna break another fall
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Staring out my window
I’m looking out at better things
Still I hope so high for what tomorrow never brings
To hold the world, to have it all
To give it up to break a fall
Fall on my feet for what I see in a crystal ball
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don’t wanna break another fall
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
It always seemed my broken dreams
Were always so unkind
And they don’t care about you
But they laugh when you fall behind
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don’t wanna break another fall
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don't wanna break another fall
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Dreams are only half alive
And they never feel quite right
They disappear tomorrow
And never work themselves out in spite
I held the world, I had it all
I gave it up to break a fall
But now, for then, I’m back again
And all the same
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don’t wanna break another fall
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Staring out my window
I’m looking out at better things
Still I hope so high for what tomorrow never brings
To hold the world, to have it all
To give it up to break a fall
Fall on my feet for what I see in a crystal ball
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don’t wanna break another fall
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
It always seemed my broken dreams
Were always so unkind
And they don’t care about you
But they laugh when you fall behind
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don’t wanna break another fall
No matter what I do
While everyone was breaking through
Must have been decided
Breaking all the rules I once abided
Everybody else’s days are lighter
Everybody else’s skies are brighter
And tell me why that every time
Good luck seems to pass me by…
Don’t wanna take it anymore
Don't wanna break another fall
Lyrics submitted by madcowzack
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.