"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.
Tonight I find it hard to sleep
Each sound and squeak I hear
Keeps me staring at the ceiling
Oh it's dark as night outside
And I can't stand
The quiet that it brings me
And I've got too much on my mind
I think it's time to take a drive
And leave it all behind
I've got a song that's halfway there
I think it needs the ocean air
I'm gonna grab my guitar
And get in my car
Oh, I need some understanding
I need a little love
Gonna speed down to the Oceanside
In a race with the stars above
With my guitar in hand
And toes touching the sand
I can see the sun is coming in
Colors fill and crack the sky
With purple, silver, and golden light
Drawing the day from night
On the shoreline a fisherman
With bait on his line and a rod in his hand
Is ready to greet the day
He turns around to notice me
And the two of us are patiently
Waiting for the sun's rays
Oh, I just need some understanding
And a little love
And somehow I am thinking now
I can get what i've been dreaming of
But this fisherman is closing in
I think he could be crazy
He says:
"Would you ride with me?"
"Oh, I could use the company"
"I've got a fish to catch and you have got a song to sing"
His eyes were anchors as the boat would sway
What would you like to say?
You have my attention
I see you came out here to write your song
But you don't have too long
So show me what you're workin' with
I'd like to give you just a little somethin'
And you may think it's nothing on first listen
In the time it takes for you to make love
You can break love
Waste love
And throw it all away
But all you need is faith
And hope will bring a brighter day
And every time that you love
Let it lift someone else up
If someone tries to burn you
Give him your hand and turn and pick him up
When he's all alone
Now if you find yourself getting frustrated
Try not to get too jaded or
You could go insane, like me
I tell you man you must be crazy
Or am I always lazy when it comes to love?
With every failure and turning tide
I toss the boomerang
But Ah, it never comes back to me
Have some faith you say
And hope will find its way?
Well I doubt what you're sure of
When it seems to me the greatest of these is love
But it's so hard to love
Well, we were sitting on his boat
Our backs to each other
He was giving me a little time
And all that he said
Was hurting my head
Wonderin' how to leave the selfishness behind
All that I could say is
"it's so hard to love... the way that you want me to"
I stepped off the boat and thanked the man
Not sure what I was thankful for
When I turned back around to see him again
He was already gone
Walking back from the water to my guitar
That's when the light came on
I knew what he was talking 'bout
I know how to finish my song
Oh, I just need some understanding,
I need a little love
And I want to sing my song to somebody who doubts what they're made of
Oh, we all need some understanding
We all need love!
We all need love!
Each sound and squeak I hear
Keeps me staring at the ceiling
Oh it's dark as night outside
And I can't stand
The quiet that it brings me
And I've got too much on my mind
I think it's time to take a drive
And leave it all behind
I've got a song that's halfway there
I think it needs the ocean air
I'm gonna grab my guitar
And get in my car
Oh, I need some understanding
I need a little love
Gonna speed down to the Oceanside
In a race with the stars above
With my guitar in hand
And toes touching the sand
I can see the sun is coming in
Colors fill and crack the sky
With purple, silver, and golden light
Drawing the day from night
On the shoreline a fisherman
With bait on his line and a rod in his hand
Is ready to greet the day
He turns around to notice me
And the two of us are patiently
Waiting for the sun's rays
Oh, I just need some understanding
And a little love
And somehow I am thinking now
I can get what i've been dreaming of
But this fisherman is closing in
I think he could be crazy
He says:
"Would you ride with me?"
"Oh, I could use the company"
"I've got a fish to catch and you have got a song to sing"
His eyes were anchors as the boat would sway
What would you like to say?
You have my attention
I see you came out here to write your song
But you don't have too long
So show me what you're workin' with
I'd like to give you just a little somethin'
And you may think it's nothing on first listen
In the time it takes for you to make love
You can break love
Waste love
And throw it all away
But all you need is faith
And hope will bring a brighter day
And every time that you love
Let it lift someone else up
If someone tries to burn you
Give him your hand and turn and pick him up
When he's all alone
Now if you find yourself getting frustrated
Try not to get too jaded or
You could go insane, like me
I tell you man you must be crazy
Or am I always lazy when it comes to love?
With every failure and turning tide
I toss the boomerang
But Ah, it never comes back to me
Have some faith you say
And hope will find its way?
Well I doubt what you're sure of
When it seems to me the greatest of these is love
But it's so hard to love
Well, we were sitting on his boat
Our backs to each other
He was giving me a little time
And all that he said
Was hurting my head
Wonderin' how to leave the selfishness behind
All that I could say is
"it's so hard to love... the way that you want me to"
I stepped off the boat and thanked the man
Not sure what I was thankful for
When I turned back around to see him again
He was already gone
Walking back from the water to my guitar
That's when the light came on
I knew what he was talking 'bout
I know how to finish my song
Oh, I just need some understanding,
I need a little love
And I want to sing my song to somebody who doubts what they're made of
Oh, we all need some understanding
We all need love!
We all need love!
Lyrics submitted by tennisplyr3515
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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
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.
it's been a long time since I loved a mae song quite this much. this song is magic for me.
"In the time it takes for you to make love You can break love Waste love And throw it all away"
so beautiful.
I agree. Not since the days of Everglow have I enjoyed a Mae song so much. Mae specialise in magic and this is certainly a product of that.