"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.
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
singin Wonderwall out of tune
wasn't an unusual sight
it's any town on any given Saturday night
you'll see 'em prowlin in a pack for a fight
and his hairy hand's enough to give a brother a fright
turned to me and asked me what my problem was
then jumped around and smacked me bang across my head because
I wasn't wearin a white shirt that looked like his
didn't go to the disco to swing my fists
or I don't know maybe it wasn't the clothes
I haven't got a monobrow or an Elastoplast across my nose
I wasn't doin all the things he do
I was mindin my own business with a drink or two
still he's gotta come and misbehave
after seven drinks the creature's risen from the grave
strange transformations
happen after midnight across the nation
yeah we all enjoy a drink or two
but why they gotta do the things they do?
and if you don't believe in Jekyll and Hyde
you gotta go the horrorshow they're shootin outside
bottom of the bottle to the black lagoon
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
spit with every word that they say
shoulder barge you out of the way
titties fallin out of their tops
there's a curse on the country ask the cops
why they be beatin them inside of the van
I see one climbin up a statue like the bogieman
grab your hat and vanish in a cloud of dust
you need a silver bullet just to get the bus
I never been on a ghost train that went like this
I only sat on the top deck and ate my chips
I see the bride of frankenstein, it stumbles by me
married to the monster and she sits beside me
face like a freakshow, caked in make-up
now her hand's on my knee and I'm tryin to wake up
suddenly her fella stands and growls
with his teeth in my neck I can hear him howl
strange transformations
happen after midnight across the nation
yeah we all enjoy a drink or two
but why they gotta do the things they do?
and if you don't believe in Jekyll and Hyde
you gotta go the horrorshow they're shootin outside
bottom of the bottle to the black lagoon
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
fallin off the chair at the park
nearly gettin hit by a car
runnin with her shoes in her hands
cryin on the steps on the phone to mam
tryin to put his hand down my bra
in the road playin air guitar
pukin up inside a cab
finishin the whole of a doner kebab
strange transformations
happen after midnight across the nation
yeah we all enjoy a drink or two
but why they gotta do the things they do?
and if you don't believe in Jekyll and Hyde
you gotta go the horrorshow they're shootin outside
bottom of the bottle to the black lagoon
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
singin Wonderwall out of tune
wasn't an unusual sight
it's any town on any given Saturday night
you'll see 'em prowlin in a pack for a fight
and his hairy hand's enough to give a brother a fright
turned to me and asked me what my problem was
then jumped around and smacked me bang across my head because
I wasn't wearin a white shirt that looked like his
didn't go to the disco to swing my fists
or I don't know maybe it wasn't the clothes
I haven't got a monobrow or an Elastoplast across my nose
I wasn't doin all the things he do
I was mindin my own business with a drink or two
still he's gotta come and misbehave
after seven drinks the creature's risen from the grave
strange transformations
happen after midnight across the nation
yeah we all enjoy a drink or two
but why they gotta do the things they do?
and if you don't believe in Jekyll and Hyde
you gotta go the horrorshow they're shootin outside
bottom of the bottle to the black lagoon
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
spit with every word that they say
shoulder barge you out of the way
titties fallin out of their tops
there's a curse on the country ask the cops
why they be beatin them inside of the van
I see one climbin up a statue like the bogieman
grab your hat and vanish in a cloud of dust
you need a silver bullet just to get the bus
I never been on a ghost train that went like this
I only sat on the top deck and ate my chips
I see the bride of frankenstein, it stumbles by me
married to the monster and she sits beside me
face like a freakshow, caked in make-up
now her hand's on my knee and I'm tryin to wake up
suddenly her fella stands and growls
with his teeth in my neck I can hear him howl
strange transformations
happen after midnight across the nation
yeah we all enjoy a drink or two
but why they gotta do the things they do?
and if you don't believe in Jekyll and Hyde
you gotta go the horrorshow they're shootin outside
bottom of the bottle to the black lagoon
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
fallin off the chair at the park
nearly gettin hit by a car
runnin with her shoes in her hands
cryin on the steps on the phone to mam
tryin to put his hand down my bra
in the road playin air guitar
pukin up inside a cab
finishin the whole of a doner kebab
strange transformations
happen after midnight across the nation
yeah we all enjoy a drink or two
but why they gotta do the things they do?
and if you don't believe in Jekyll and Hyde
you gotta go the horrorshow they're shootin outside
bottom of the bottle to the black lagoon
I see them linin up to howl at the moon
Lyrics submitted by Foxxe
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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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Pretty obvious this one, lol. Great tune. :D