"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.
[Farma G]
I'll be that stranger on the shore waiting for the world to end
I cast my faith to the wind in the middle of a hurricane
call me flash Madigan I keep it Dylan
singing Tombstone Blues, drunk, on vodka and penicillin
rap with the thrilling soundtrack I bring the movies back
old school black and white Charlie's on crack
life all washed up some guy who don't talk much
mud on my jeans hair like Basil Brush (boom boom)
mind boggling machines and amazing mazes what next?
Farma disapears without trace
it's the Etch a Sketch direction
show the test of time has won
some become food for me hang around 'til I'm done
battle tanks global assault I fly my flag high Shanghai Cowboy
wise guy killer mad crazy cow beefy teeth sharpened up milly
sacrificed microphones fuck a big win telly turn it down low
base boom bellow throws two dice doubled up
must mean another go pass the control switch channel change the tune
you pussies all wet from King Neptune
battle man scratching my head with my weapon down
sound clasher masher muster puppy pound whippersnapper
fake dogs run for your life I'm the dog catcher
stack the odds high, hackers up on my hard drive
slice slash sharper than knife and fight like man
stand up now fight like a man
slice slash sharper than knife and fight like man
stand up now fight like a man
Chorus:
I'm a stranger on the shores waiting for the world to end
I cast my faith to the wind in a middle of a hurricane
slip swirl slide glide when I die
fuck the world God knows I tried
[Chester P]
Camouflage crunch SOS squad help
I eye balls are looking like Darth Mauls head
from the sunrise I'm stressed depressed and overdosed
I dress and hit the streets half feeling like a ghost
the man without a shadow feeling like a bag of nerves
fiending for a lick too long I've been disturbed
hitting rocky terms can't express the feeling with words
my head is spinning in the opposite direction to the world
back packer of the cosmos bagging up drugs
magnetic pool smoking apparitions of love
my eyes glaze pressure applied boiling blood
cooling off in the ice age glacier ???
hashish is in my pocket my strengths come in way draws
life is my business, stranger best state your's
inside the database psychedelic freelance
paperchase living computerised dream cast
blast chamber, escape artist stunts without the danger nets
I'm pulling jumps without the harness
travel book captain's log can't seem to get a grip
sitting on the edge of outer space and watch it all slip
slip swirl slide glide when I die
fuck the world God knows I tried
(Repeat Chorus)
I'll be that stranger on the shore waiting for the world to end
I cast my faith to the wind in the middle of a hurricane
call me flash Madigan I keep it Dylan
singing Tombstone Blues, drunk, on vodka and penicillin
rap with the thrilling soundtrack I bring the movies back
old school black and white Charlie's on crack
life all washed up some guy who don't talk much
mud on my jeans hair like Basil Brush (boom boom)
mind boggling machines and amazing mazes what next?
Farma disapears without trace
it's the Etch a Sketch direction
show the test of time has won
some become food for me hang around 'til I'm done
battle tanks global assault I fly my flag high Shanghai Cowboy
wise guy killer mad crazy cow beefy teeth sharpened up milly
sacrificed microphones fuck a big win telly turn it down low
base boom bellow throws two dice doubled up
must mean another go pass the control switch channel change the tune
you pussies all wet from King Neptune
battle man scratching my head with my weapon down
sound clasher masher muster puppy pound whippersnapper
fake dogs run for your life I'm the dog catcher
stack the odds high, hackers up on my hard drive
slice slash sharper than knife and fight like man
stand up now fight like a man
slice slash sharper than knife and fight like man
stand up now fight like a man
Chorus:
I'm a stranger on the shores waiting for the world to end
I cast my faith to the wind in a middle of a hurricane
slip swirl slide glide when I die
fuck the world God knows I tried
[Chester P]
Camouflage crunch SOS squad help
I eye balls are looking like Darth Mauls head
from the sunrise I'm stressed depressed and overdosed
I dress and hit the streets half feeling like a ghost
the man without a shadow feeling like a bag of nerves
fiending for a lick too long I've been disturbed
hitting rocky terms can't express the feeling with words
my head is spinning in the opposite direction to the world
back packer of the cosmos bagging up drugs
magnetic pool smoking apparitions of love
my eyes glaze pressure applied boiling blood
cooling off in the ice age glacier ???
hashish is in my pocket my strengths come in way draws
life is my business, stranger best state your's
inside the database psychedelic freelance
paperchase living computerised dream cast
blast chamber, escape artist stunts without the danger nets
I'm pulling jumps without the harness
travel book captain's log can't seem to get a grip
sitting on the edge of outer space and watch it all slip
slip swirl slide glide when I die
fuck the world God knows I tried
(Repeat Chorus)
Lyrics submitted by godnose
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
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.