"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.
There's a ghost on the highway,
And I want to run it down,
There's a phantom in my bed,
And I'm all alone now.
I've seen every hotel,
I've seen every hell,
There's nothing I haven't done,
There's no one I haven't had.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights get shot right out?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crumbling down?
And I know myself too well,
And the Devil speaks to me,
And he's got me pinned down now,
Telling me I'm so empty.
Oh, just say you're sorry now,
And you'll never do it again,
Take the edge right off and keep it,
Coz you'll never be high again.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights get shot right out?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crashing down?
Would you be there when the devil,
When the devil comes for me?
Would you be there when the lights,
Go black and empty?
And I live in a box,
And I die in this hole.
And you hold the keys,
To this zip.
And I don't wanna go,
But I can't seem to come,
And it's not up to me,
It's up to you.
And at all tomorrows parties,
I will be there, not at one,
And when you all start to miss me,
Oh, just pass me the gun.
And it's Valentine's again,
And there's nothing here for me.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights come crashing down?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crumbling down?
Would you be there when the Devil,
Takes me to the underground?
Would you be there when the night,
Is night all year around?
Would you be there in the ice?
In the frost and cold and freeze?
Would you be there any time?
When I'm here, I'm on my knees?
And I want to run it down,
There's a phantom in my bed,
And I'm all alone now.
I've seen every hotel,
I've seen every hell,
There's nothing I haven't done,
There's no one I haven't had.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights get shot right out?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crumbling down?
And I know myself too well,
And the Devil speaks to me,
And he's got me pinned down now,
Telling me I'm so empty.
Oh, just say you're sorry now,
And you'll never do it again,
Take the edge right off and keep it,
Coz you'll never be high again.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights get shot right out?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crashing down?
Would you be there when the devil,
When the devil comes for me?
Would you be there when the lights,
Go black and empty?
And I live in a box,
And I die in this hole.
And you hold the keys,
To this zip.
And I don't wanna go,
But I can't seem to come,
And it's not up to me,
It's up to you.
And at all tomorrows parties,
I will be there, not at one,
And when you all start to miss me,
Oh, just pass me the gun.
And it's Valentine's again,
And there's nothing here for me.
Would you be there when the lights,
When the lights come crashing down?
Would you be there when the roof,
When the roof comes crumbling down?
Would you be there when the Devil,
Takes me to the underground?
Would you be there when the night,
Is night all year around?
Would you be there in the ice?
In the frost and cold and freeze?
Would you be there any time?
When I'm here, I'm on my knees?
Lyrics submitted by cristinexzombie
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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"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
This is totally a free interpretation from what i know about Courtney. I truly think there's a lot on Kurt and her drug use here.
"There's a ghost on the highway, And I want to run it down, There's a phantom in my bed, And I'm all alone now. "
The whole Ghost and phantom thing, I think refers to Kurt, to the fact that even if he's gone, he's always there cause even after all these years, she's still his widow for many people. Also, she feels alone from being drugless and Kurtless
"Would you be there when the lights, When the lights get shot right out? Would you be there when the roof, When the roof comes crumbling down?"
I think it's about wondering if he'll truly be there with her when she's gone.
"And I know myself too well, And the Devil speaks to me, And he's got me pinned down now, Telling me I'm so empty. Oh, just say you're sorry now, And you'll never do it again, Take the edge right off and keep it, Coz you'll never be high again."
This is about her on and off drug uses. She know she falls back all the time. I would think it was written while she was freshly off drugs, knowing and fearing she'll probably fall back.
"And I live in a box, And I die in this hole. And you hold the keys, To this zip. And I don't wanna go, But I can't seem to come, And it's not up to me, It's up to you. "
The whole box thing, to me, refer to the famous heart shape box story. I think she says how she's trapped by the fact that she was once her wife. Hole could refer to her former band. Then it's about how she don't want to die but she can't seem to make her life the way she wants it. I think she then tries to take back her life, her career, her image and it's not up to him, not realated to who he was but it's all about who she'll become.
"And at all tomorrows parties, I will be there, not at one, And when you all start to miss me, Oh, just pass me the gun. And it's Valentine's again, And there's nothing here for me."
It's about going to parties sober. And i feel it's again, also about Kurt presence. It's about thinking of killing herself for being all alone with nothing and no one.