"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.
What do you have to say?
�I�m not a nervous wreck! I�m not a nervous wreck!�
I have spent all my time on useless prayer
I can no longer, longer afford
Returns all elastives
Girl, how much do I owe you?
Oh, everyone has changed
Familiar faces look so strange
Last time before, the last time before
As they storm the place, they signed away
Whatever pieces you left of me
Oh, please leave us out, leave us out of these plans
I know we don�t belong
With anyone, with anyone of you
Keep us out, keep us out of your homes
We�ll surely destroy everything that you create
And burn your life and love until you run dry
And I lie awake awaiting the arrival of
God�s right hand man
to aide me in this war against them
We know! We know!
What are bodies are for
We learn as we grow!
Meant to be broken down and used, broken down and used
Hey disbeliever
Won�t you tell me something else
You�re the blood in my chest,
The only piece of me left
And I will gladly steal your heart
Hold you as my hostage
(All you have to say,
No good this way,
i tried to forget, tried to forget)
(It's so hard to sit and wait
the ones you love will never stay
we just want to celebrate
well listen I'm trying)
And we love, we love, stole my love and burned it to the ground
You're the blood in my chest,
the only piece of me left
and i will gladly steal steal your
hold as my hostage
No one, no one, no one will hold me down
But I will gladly steal your heart, keep u as a hostage
No one, no one, no one
I will gladly steal your heart, hold you as my hostage.
�I�m not a nervous wreck! I�m not a nervous wreck!�
I have spent all my time on useless prayer
I can no longer, longer afford
Returns all elastives
Girl, how much do I owe you?
Oh, everyone has changed
Familiar faces look so strange
Last time before, the last time before
As they storm the place, they signed away
Whatever pieces you left of me
Oh, please leave us out, leave us out of these plans
I know we don�t belong
With anyone, with anyone of you
Keep us out, keep us out of your homes
We�ll surely destroy everything that you create
And burn your life and love until you run dry
And I lie awake awaiting the arrival of
God�s right hand man
to aide me in this war against them
We know! We know!
What are bodies are for
We learn as we grow!
Meant to be broken down and used, broken down and used
Hey disbeliever
Won�t you tell me something else
You�re the blood in my chest,
The only piece of me left
And I will gladly steal your heart
Hold you as my hostage
(All you have to say,
No good this way,
i tried to forget, tried to forget)
(It's so hard to sit and wait
the ones you love will never stay
we just want to celebrate
well listen I'm trying)
And we love, we love, stole my love and burned it to the ground
You're the blood in my chest,
the only piece of me left
and i will gladly steal steal your
hold as my hostage
No one, no one, no one will hold me down
But I will gladly steal your heart, keep u as a hostage
No one, no one, no one
I will gladly steal your heart, hold you as my hostage.
Lyrics submitted by sandiejenkins
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.