"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.
O Mount Kailas, uncover me;
come my restoration, wash my body clean
I've been walking along a crooked path
where the walls have fallen and broken me in half
I'm telling you, I will not rest till I lay down my head
I'm gonna go in the house of stone and light
I shall not cry for the blind man I leave behind
when I go in the house of stone and light,
in the house of stone and light
Holy Lady, show me my soul;
tell me of that place where I must surely go
Old man waiting at the gates for me,
give me the wisdom, give me the key
I'm telling you, I will not rest till I lay down my head
In the house of stone and light
I'll make my way, O gonna be such a beautiful day
In the house of stone and light
In the house of stone and light
Let me in beneath my skin,
yeah, yeah, oh oh
In the house of stone and light
It's been to long, my spirit's been at war
Havasupai Shaman, let me be reborn
And I will embrace the sun upon my face,
come the day I awake the child inside
in the house of stone and light
And when I go I will op op open my eyes
in the house of stone and light
I will see you in the house of stone and light
I'm looking in beneath my skin,
yeah, yeah, oh oh
In the house of stone and light, I'm coming inside
In the house of stone and light, looking for the child
In the house of stone and light, see myself got such a good shelter
In the house of stone and light
In the house of stone and light, I'm gonna let this child come washing of water
In the house of stone and light, He's speaking softly to me
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light, I can see so clearly now
(I will go there to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light, we'll keep on knocking on my door
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light
(I will go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
come my restoration, wash my body clean
I've been walking along a crooked path
where the walls have fallen and broken me in half
I'm telling you, I will not rest till I lay down my head
I'm gonna go in the house of stone and light
I shall not cry for the blind man I leave behind
when I go in the house of stone and light,
in the house of stone and light
Holy Lady, show me my soul;
tell me of that place where I must surely go
Old man waiting at the gates for me,
give me the wisdom, give me the key
I'm telling you, I will not rest till I lay down my head
In the house of stone and light
I'll make my way, O gonna be such a beautiful day
In the house of stone and light
In the house of stone and light
Let me in beneath my skin,
yeah, yeah, oh oh
In the house of stone and light
It's been to long, my spirit's been at war
Havasupai Shaman, let me be reborn
And I will embrace the sun upon my face,
come the day I awake the child inside
in the house of stone and light
And when I go I will op op open my eyes
in the house of stone and light
I will see you in the house of stone and light
I'm looking in beneath my skin,
yeah, yeah, oh oh
In the house of stone and light, I'm coming inside
In the house of stone and light, looking for the child
In the house of stone and light, see myself got such a good shelter
In the house of stone and light
In the house of stone and light, I'm gonna let this child come washing of water
In the house of stone and light, He's speaking softly to me
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light, I can see so clearly now
(I will go there to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light, we'll keep on knocking on my door
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light
(I will go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Dreamwalker
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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.
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
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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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
weird ass mystiical shit like this from the early/mid 90's is hilarious and i love it