"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.
Katie stands at the top of the stairs
As she's leaving her father stares
What has she come to
Another boy she runs to tonight
Powerless he just shakes his head
Disapointed and off to bed
He won't be sleeping
Cause the hours she's keeping
are not right
She's asking a question
How will I be
After this next on eventually leaves me
And how can a man
Be all that they say
When all that i know
Is men run away
I think I lose just a little bit of me
In every man that I see
Danny's been out for seven days
Funny how he thought the price had been paid
On a past he hates to talk about
It's everything wrong about him
He goes back home to a battle field
Starts to drink as some kind of a shield
For the anger instilled in him
Their looks are killing him now
He's asking a question
How will I be
When it comes down to the end
And memories still haunt me
How can he have forgiveness that flows
When no one forgives him
Yet it's Jesus they know
I think I lose just a little bit of me
In this family that won't see
A crowed of confusion gathers round
Watching the light as he slowly goes out
After all they've talked about
Everything's coming out now
The anger turns to dead and gone
Heart's start to feel what feels so wrong
And as the time starts passing by
Hours turn to days in their heads
And they can still hear him say
I came for your questions
Of what you don't know
But you can't see the answers
Unless I go
So give me your hatred
And give me your diseased
Give me your tired
And I'll take them with me
Cause I'm hanging here
Losing every part of me
Just to open your eyes
To what you will never see
And to answer you questions
Cause there's no place I'd rather be
As she's leaving her father stares
What has she come to
Another boy she runs to tonight
Powerless he just shakes his head
Disapointed and off to bed
He won't be sleeping
Cause the hours she's keeping
are not right
She's asking a question
How will I be
After this next on eventually leaves me
And how can a man
Be all that they say
When all that i know
Is men run away
I think I lose just a little bit of me
In every man that I see
Danny's been out for seven days
Funny how he thought the price had been paid
On a past he hates to talk about
It's everything wrong about him
He goes back home to a battle field
Starts to drink as some kind of a shield
For the anger instilled in him
Their looks are killing him now
He's asking a question
How will I be
When it comes down to the end
And memories still haunt me
How can he have forgiveness that flows
When no one forgives him
Yet it's Jesus they know
I think I lose just a little bit of me
In this family that won't see
A crowed of confusion gathers round
Watching the light as he slowly goes out
After all they've talked about
Everything's coming out now
The anger turns to dead and gone
Heart's start to feel what feels so wrong
And as the time starts passing by
Hours turn to days in their heads
And they can still hear him say
I came for your questions
Of what you don't know
But you can't see the answers
Unless I go
So give me your hatred
And give me your diseased
Give me your tired
And I'll take them with me
Cause I'm hanging here
Losing every part of me
Just to open your eyes
To what you will never see
And to answer you questions
Cause there's no place I'd rather be
Lyrics submitted by LuvtheWeez
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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."
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
The first section is about "Katie" a girl whose father doesn't seem to show her that he cares for her, so she seeks that care in other men, who always end up using her or leaving her. She then questions who Jesus, can be the kind of man to never leave. Based on her life, that doesn't make sense.
The second part is about Danny, who has served his time for some crime. He is released and hopes to reunite with his family. However, his family still views him suspiciously based upon what he had done in his past. He then questions if he will ever be able to forget what he's done. His family is reminding him by treating him different. He then questions how Jesus be forgiving when his family, who are Christians, cannot forgive him.
The last part is about Jesus actually dying on the cross. To answer our questions, and give us hope in this hopeless world (as described in the first two sections.)