"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.
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want
I namedrop like paper plates
While my real friends lay in ashtrays
Failure to communicate with
Numbers, letters, symbols, spaces
You can rearrange them any way that you choose
You can't take it away from me
I've nothing to lose
Nighttime is the best time
When I'm lying all alone
I turn up all my radios
And sing her favorite songs
I state the obvious
When I know that it's clear
Every minute, every second
Every day of the year
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want
You can try your best to fake it
Like double, single, triple agents
But if she doesn't love you now
Still won't when you're rich and famous
And everyone will worry about you
And everyone will talk behind your back
But that cannot distract you
No, no, no
Money's what you're making
But you still feel all alone
In flashy cars and stereos
You sing her favorite song
Overstate the obvious
when I know that it's clear
Every minute, every second
Every day of the year
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want (x2)
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want
I namedrop like paper plates
While my real friends lay in ashtrays
Failure to communicate with
Numbers, letters, symbols, spaces
You can rearrange them any way that you choose
You can't take it away from me
I've nothing to lose
Nighttime is the best time
When I'm lying all alone
I turn up all my radios
And sing her favorite songs
I state the obvious
When I know that it's clear
Every minute, every second
Every day of the year
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want
You can try your best to fake it
Like double, single, triple agents
But if she doesn't love you now
Still won't when you're rich and famous
And everyone will worry about you
And everyone will talk behind your back
But that cannot distract you
No, no, no
Money's what you're making
But you still feel all alone
In flashy cars and stereos
You sing her favorite song
Overstate the obvious
when I know that it's clear
Every minute, every second
Every day of the year
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
War is just a dancer
Oh, disco is not the answer
All you need is love
But there is never enough
All you need is time
But then your time's running up
All you need is money
Money, but that's not enough
Oh, you can try, so try
But you can't get what you want (x2)
Lyrics submitted by suchaxsucker
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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Ed Sheeran
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American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
the lyrics weren't anywhere else so i did my best to figure out what they were by ear. and i'd fix it, but the website won't let me make edits.