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"
Take her little fingers,
And put them to your face,
And don't forget she said
You're looking good.
And don't forget the next time
That you get into a race,
Beneath it all
You're only flesh and blood.
So fill her up and pick her up
And ride into the breeze,
You're taking all the corners
That were at the 35 degrees.
It's so hard to face up to
It's not in no highway code,
Another speedway hero's coming home.
She's young and dressed in leather
And you met her at a dance,
And you can't make out
That strange look in her eyes.
But don't waste your time in talking,
Or waiting for the day,
Because biker girls only want
To see you die.
So take them, wear their sorrow
Like a badge to all the world.
Have pity on this little teenage
Heartbroken girl.
It's so hard to face up to
It ain't in no highway code,
Another speedway hero's coming home.
Speedway
Keep one eye on the speedo
And one hand on the bottle,
Keep one eye on the lady
And one hand on the throttle
It's so hard to face up to,
But it's harder in the dirt,
And even speedway heroes are getting hurt.
Even speedway heroes are getting hurt,
Even speedway heroes are getting hurt.
And put them to your face,
And don't forget she said
You're looking good.
And don't forget the next time
That you get into a race,
Beneath it all
You're only flesh and blood.
So fill her up and pick her up
And ride into the breeze,
You're taking all the corners
That were at the 35 degrees.
It's so hard to face up to
It's not in no highway code,
Another speedway hero's coming home.
She's young and dressed in leather
And you met her at a dance,
And you can't make out
That strange look in her eyes.
But don't waste your time in talking,
Or waiting for the day,
Because biker girls only want
To see you die.
So take them, wear their sorrow
Like a badge to all the world.
Have pity on this little teenage
Heartbroken girl.
It's so hard to face up to
It ain't in no highway code,
Another speedway hero's coming home.
Speedway
Keep one eye on the speedo
And one hand on the bottle,
Keep one eye on the lady
And one hand on the throttle
It's so hard to face up to,
But it's harder in the dirt,
And even speedway heroes are getting hurt.
Even speedway heroes are getting hurt,
Even speedway heroes are getting hurt.
Lyrics submitted by guitarbloke
Speedway Hero [Previously Unreleased Track; Bonus Track] Lyrics as written by Billy Bragg
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.