"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.
When you grab a hold of me
Tell me that I’ll never be set free
But I’m a parasite, creep and crawl
I step into the night.
Two pints of booze
Tell me are you a badfish too? are you a badfish too?
Ain’t got no money to spend
And I hope this night will never end
Lord knows I’m weak
Won’t somebody get me off of this reef
And baby your a big blue whale
I'll grab the reef when all duck diving fails
And I can swim but I wish I had never learned
Cuz the water’s too polluted with germs
Dive deep when it’s ten feet overhead
And grab the reef, that's underneath my bed
It’s underneath my bed
Ain’t got no quarrels with God, ain’t got no time to grow old
Lord knows that I’m weak
Won’t somebody get me off of this reef
And there’s a steel train comin’ in, I would take it if I could
And I would not lie to you, because Sunday mornin’ soon will come
Things will be, easier to say
Upon the microphone like I'm a Boss DJ
I will walk up upon the stage, like it was dry land
A Boss DJ ain’t nothin’ but a man
No trouble, no fuss, I know why..
It’s so nice, I wanna hear the same song twice,
It’s so nice I wanna hear the same song twice
Nowadays all the songs on the radio,
They all,
All drive me crazy
Tell me that I’ll never be set free
But I’m a parasite, creep and crawl
I step into the night.
Two pints of booze
Tell me are you a badfish too? are you a badfish too?
Ain’t got no money to spend
And I hope this night will never end
Lord knows I’m weak
Won’t somebody get me off of this reef
And baby your a big blue whale
I'll grab the reef when all duck diving fails
And I can swim but I wish I had never learned
Cuz the water’s too polluted with germs
Dive deep when it’s ten feet overhead
And grab the reef, that's underneath my bed
It’s underneath my bed
Ain’t got no quarrels with God, ain’t got no time to grow old
Lord knows that I’m weak
Won’t somebody get me off of this reef
And there’s a steel train comin’ in, I would take it if I could
And I would not lie to you, because Sunday mornin’ soon will come
Things will be, easier to say
Upon the microphone like I'm a Boss DJ
I will walk up upon the stage, like it was dry land
A Boss DJ ain’t nothin’ but a man
No trouble, no fuss, I know why..
It’s so nice, I wanna hear the same song twice,
It’s so nice I wanna hear the same song twice
Nowadays all the songs on the radio,
They all,
All drive me crazy
Lyrics submitted by gabe007
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Silent Planet
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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.
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Yo La Tengo
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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,
Magical
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
everything
i like this better than sublimes version
this is definitely better than the other versions. love it!!
lyrics are a little off I think...isn't it "but I won't walk up upon the sea like it was dry land"?
I'm not sure if this is better than sublime's version...both are great. but I do like the Boss DJ part better than sublime's boss dj
SUBLIME VERSION WAY BETTER but that's just my opinion..... that and sublime made the song....
Jacks version is really good, but sublimes is the greatest. If you know all the meaning and the torment behind Boss DJ, then you too would agree.