"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.
Your name is on everything you do, well, so is mine
Your life made a turn for you and gave you time
And through your uneven footsteps you found tolerance and cleanliness
And I found you
Your name appears at such an alarming rate in this town I can't escape it
(I'm sure you agree with that statement)
You sat around and borrowed money
I offered you a job trying to be funny
It worked out, but only at first
Your face is a minor detail
Elephants as big as whales
Recreational vehicles and mutual friends
But who's to blame? Lack of power?
And I don't mind that you're not here
And who's to blame? The believer?
The eye in the sky is watching your every single move
We stayed up at night much too late
Talking crap about The Secret Handshake
Talking about our life long mistakes
If only they knew, if only they knew
Talking bad about the kids from Denton
Disagreeing about sexual attention
You've been with more girls than I have
Both your faces have, both your faces have
I brought you to Las Angeles to do nothing
We both flew first class, and despite LA's boringness,
While I recorded you found plenty to do, plenty to do
Your face is as big as a whale
Elephants are a minor detail
Recreational vehicles and appointed tasks
But who's to blame? Lack of power?
And I don't mind that you're not here
And who's to blame? The believer?
The eye in the sky is watching your every single move
We've both got better things to do
Lyrics submitted by howz_g
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
this song is about how he gave his friend a job on the road with him and it didn't work out. he realized the guy wasn't the person he thought he was before they worked together and he saw his true colors.