"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 the peacock people left their plumes in a pile
They look good to a fault
And the Gulf water's warm like a bathtub
Full of lavender and epsom salt
See a bleach blond boy put his longboard down
Help his girl get her sunscreen on
I thought about you in your little house
Think you're lonely but I could be wrong and . . .
I want to be your bootlegger
Want to mix you up something strange
Braid your hair like a sister
Name you like a hurricane
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a get-well-card to deliver
He's going to do it by hand, he's going to do it by hand
Now they drive the cars up and down the beach
It's ridiculous and everybody knows
Hear the Mustangs rev at the four way stop
You get ghosted when the light says go
But in a town like this, in the chequered flag dawn
It's so empty you could make somebody dream
So maybe it's you, in your four-post bed
Sound asleep but still grinding your teeth and . . .
I want to be your happiness
I want to be your common sense pain
Wrap your head in a picket fence
Rebuild after the hurricane
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got my letters to deliver, but I'm still not mad
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a get-well-card to deliver
He's going to do it by hand
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it by hand
Oh, right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad
Right there, that's the postman asleep in the sand
He's got a head stack now to deliver
He's wants to do it by hand
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it by hand
They look good to a fault
And the Gulf water's warm like a bathtub
Full of lavender and epsom salt
See a bleach blond boy put his longboard down
Help his girl get her sunscreen on
I thought about you in your little house
Think you're lonely but I could be wrong and . . .
I want to be your bootlegger
Want to mix you up something strange
Braid your hair like a sister
Name you like a hurricane
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a get-well-card to deliver
He's going to do it by hand, he's going to do it by hand
Now they drive the cars up and down the beach
It's ridiculous and everybody knows
Hear the Mustangs rev at the four way stop
You get ghosted when the light says go
But in a town like this, in the chequered flag dawn
It's so empty you could make somebody dream
So maybe it's you, in your four-post bed
Sound asleep but still grinding your teeth and . . .
I want to be your happiness
I want to be your common sense pain
Wrap your head in a picket fence
Rebuild after the hurricane
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got my letters to deliver, but I'm still not mad
Right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a get-well-card to deliver
He's going to do it by hand
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it by hand
Oh, right there, that's the postman sleeping in the sand
He's got a letter to deliver, but I can't stay mad
Right there, that's the postman asleep in the sand
He's got a head stack now to deliver
He's wants to do it by hand
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it
He's going to do it, he's going to do it by hand
Lyrics submitted by shrodes
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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"
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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
the best part is when he says maim you like a hurricane
I really don't like this song at all-- or for that matter, this entire CD. It's a complete mockery of his songwriting talent. <br /> <br /> "He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it! He's gonna do it!" x 25. What is that shit? It's the same as that "Souled Out!!" POS, with the endlessly repeating refrain that Conor had previously subscribed to NEVER. He's never been repeating-chorus driven, but that's all this CD is. It's the most standard, sub-par, mediocre album he's ever conceived.<br /> <br /> Also, did anybody else think the line: "Braid your hair like a sista!" came off as mildly racist?
I think that "braid your hair like a sister" is meant to refer to the sweet, intimate relationship between actual sisters, not be a racist thing. He wants to be that close with her.
agreed. he played this song last Sunday show, it was perfect.
It's "name you like a hurricane," not maim.
I always thought it was, "braid your hair like a sister, or maybe like a hurricane." I liked that. It made sense to me.
its "braid your hair like a sister, maybe like a hurricane"
why the hell would he say name you like a hurricane?
hes saying that he wants to maybe be gentle or have sex with her. you guys can be dense
to blackmajik2021: dont be an ass when you're wrong. he definitely says "name you like a hurricane." why, you ask? because all tropical depressions are named when they become hurricanes: hurricane andrew, hurricane rita, etc...
yea i'm fairly sure he says "name you like a hurricane" didn't understand what he meant until i read your comment
sorry, the lyrics said maim you like a hurricane before, so i thought it was maim. the person changed it now. i don't know what the actual lyrics are but it still is the best part of the songgg
name or maim both make sense i spent a good portion of time listening to that part of the song to figure out what it says...tyyger was right, he definitely says "maim you like a hurricane"
Please explain to me exactly how one would maim a hurricane? Please. That makes no sense. Also, in the booklet that came with the album it says clearly "Name you like a hurricane." That actually seems to make sense also...imagine that. And a good day to you, sir.
He is not maiming the hurricane. he is maiming the person he is singing about. And its quite simple, maim means to make defective or to disfigure, which, I believe, a hurricane does. And it goes perfect with the verse because he is talking about disfiguring the person he's singing about 'braid your hair like a sister, bring change like a hurricane' that's pretty much what he is saying.
mategan, i agree. he then goes on to say rebuild after the hurricane which makes perfect sense if the lyric is maim.
jesus christ what is with all the animosity? All these elitist posters think they are just so above everyone else...calm down all you indie elitists, some of us are sick of your bullshit posts, take that stick out of your ass