"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.
We wage wars like Pascal waged wagers,
And its on Pascal’s wager we send sergeant majors to fight,
It would be nice if we took his triangle,
And we could find new angles more violent and wonderful,
I was thinking of saving the animals,
But first we save people (not animals),
Just ‘cause they’re almost as rare as love through marriage,
Do you sometimes wish that your siblings were miscarried?
We get people that shout down the state, and they demand justice,
But justice as fairness or truth;
As confused as the next politician
Who tries not to lie in their impossible mission for –
Truth – to be told I think most couldn’t cope,
With broken relations to absolute nations above;
When you think that it’s love that you bought, its no longer a mystery,
She was so nice to me.
And people made evil,
We decide what it is
And decide what its not,
If you do things illegal,
You can be pretty sure that it would be allowed
Somewhere else,
But we’re happy people, so there’s nothing wrong with the state we’re in,
If it’s making you happy, then there’s nothing wrong with the state you’re in.
My horse has won; my own son. ‘Well sir, well done. I hope you had fun.’
And its on Pascal’s wager we send sergeant majors to fight,
It would be nice if we took his triangle,
And we could find new angles more violent and wonderful,
I was thinking of saving the animals,
But first we save people (not animals),
Just ‘cause they’re almost as rare as love through marriage,
Do you sometimes wish that your siblings were miscarried?
We get people that shout down the state, and they demand justice,
But justice as fairness or truth;
As confused as the next politician
Who tries not to lie in their impossible mission for –
Truth – to be told I think most couldn’t cope,
With broken relations to absolute nations above;
When you think that it’s love that you bought, its no longer a mystery,
She was so nice to me.
And people made evil,
We decide what it is
And decide what its not,
If you do things illegal,
You can be pretty sure that it would be allowed
Somewhere else,
But we’re happy people, so there’s nothing wrong with the state we’re in,
If it’s making you happy, then there’s nothing wrong with the state you’re in.
My horse has won; my own son. ‘Well sir, well done. I hope you had fun.’
Lyrics submitted by scrapthat
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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.
I like this song a lot. As far as meanings, it seems pretty obvious, although the message could be controversial I suppose. The only thing that confuses me is the last line: "My horse has won; my own son. ‘Well sir, well done. I hope you had fun.’" I'm stuck here...
i don't really know. i absolutely love this song. but i think that this song is about doing whatever it takes to be happy. i feel like he's comunicating throughout the song that doing whatever it takes is fine, right until the end "My horse has won; my own son. ‘Well sir, well done. I hope you had fun." i felt like that meant none of what we feel is true, that nothing that we'll ever do will truly be fine with everyone including ourselves, that not everyone can rejoice for the same thing.
At this point he doesn't know his purpose in the world as everything seems to be at odds, yet now that hes successful, its as if his parents have suddenly found purpose (last line?) . Its a view of the world common in youths and those with too much time to think: life is a paradox, why bother? maybe the last line even reflects his regret at having been born.