"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.
Sims:
I'm in your garden now,
I picked them flowers out,
I went too far right now,
I meant we bottomed out,
You dig for higher ground,
You hit the fire now,
No time for stopping tore the wires out.
Dessa:
Ive got this music in my head,
Ive got this hole in my chest,
Ive got this bird in my hands,
That looks like its been crushed to death.
But its a players game,
Any other wicked token,
Keep one beneath your tongue for when your best gets broken.
I swallowed my tongue,
I bided my time,
Trying to get just this one thing right,
By the book but the hook just sends Im shook,
God knows Ill always bite.
Cause part of the fun is the road rash (yeah)
Feeling the gravel go past (yeah)
And I don't care what they say,
Theres no such thing as a clean break.
Sims
Youre too smart to say what you think
And Im too real not to say what I feel,
But when it starts to sink,
Ill grab the wheel,
Ill keep on steering for you,
Ill keep on steering for you.
Reap out the end if I could,
She walked with vengeance, walks good
She wants my head up on wood,
Lopping off the chopping block,
Shoulda stopped,
And watching red flags coming,
The red things a running,
Always heavy, heavy drops to the floor,
Locking the door,
And thats it,
Do't let her in,
No veteran,
Hello though, the L-O-V-O
?
Back in the red again,
Latched to a skeleton
Old friend, relax and just settle in,
Enjoy that, bad medicine
Push it to the limits,
Good beginnings are the toughest ones to finish.
Dessa:
I found your pale faced blue lipped God,
Beneath the kitchen table.
Starving, and eating paper,
He showed me what you wrote and what you'd asked.
Love,
Nothing can live on prayers like that,
Love.
Its not vengeance and it's not bloodlust,
Justice is just a rule of law,
So hold down the magician,
The beautiful assistant,
Should get her turn with the saw.
Sims
Perocet, gauze,
She working them claws,
Only purpose to draw more bad blood,
Thats a sad war love,
You know that though,
You know those chains were self-imposed
Your words, my stinging molars,
Sing it slow,
Ill curse it while your world is sinking lower
Dessa
Rewind and watch it go backwards,
From last lines to first words,
The flash goes back in the camera,
the flask back in the handbag,
Dont ask,
How after one phone call.
He hit two lovebirds with only one stone wall
Sims
Valentines day at the dead letter office
Looking for my girl like yellow lead better, 214
She said she left to find the meaning of life,
Whatever that means,
I wonder where shes sleeping tonight.
I found your pale faced blue lipped God,
Beneath the kitchen table.
Starving, and eating paper,
He showed me what you wrote and what youd asked,
(Too smart to say what you think)
Love,
(Im too real not to say what I feel)
Nothing can live on prayers like that,
(When it starts to sink,)
Love.
I grab the wheel,
Ill keep on steering for you,
Ill keep on steering for you.
Im in your garden now,
I picked them flowers out,
I went too far right now,
I meant we bottomed out,
You dig for higher ground,
You hit the fire now,
No time for stopping tore the wires out.
(Wires out)
Im in over my head,
Over my head,
You dig me deep, deep, deep,
I'm in your garden now,
I picked them flowers out,
I went too far right now,
I meant we bottomed out,
You dig for higher ground,
You hit the fire now,
No time for stopping tore the wires out.
Dessa:
Ive got this music in my head,
Ive got this hole in my chest,
Ive got this bird in my hands,
That looks like its been crushed to death.
But its a players game,
Any other wicked token,
Keep one beneath your tongue for when your best gets broken.
I swallowed my tongue,
I bided my time,
Trying to get just this one thing right,
By the book but the hook just sends Im shook,
God knows Ill always bite.
Cause part of the fun is the road rash (yeah)
Feeling the gravel go past (yeah)
And I don't care what they say,
Theres no such thing as a clean break.
Sims
Youre too smart to say what you think
And Im too real not to say what I feel,
But when it starts to sink,
Ill grab the wheel,
Ill keep on steering for you,
Ill keep on steering for you.
Reap out the end if I could,
She walked with vengeance, walks good
She wants my head up on wood,
Lopping off the chopping block,
Shoulda stopped,
And watching red flags coming,
The red things a running,
Always heavy, heavy drops to the floor,
Locking the door,
And thats it,
Do't let her in,
No veteran,
Hello though, the L-O-V-O
?
Back in the red again,
Latched to a skeleton
Old friend, relax and just settle in,
Enjoy that, bad medicine
Push it to the limits,
Good beginnings are the toughest ones to finish.
Dessa:
I found your pale faced blue lipped God,
Beneath the kitchen table.
Starving, and eating paper,
He showed me what you wrote and what you'd asked.
Love,
Nothing can live on prayers like that,
Love.
Its not vengeance and it's not bloodlust,
Justice is just a rule of law,
So hold down the magician,
The beautiful assistant,
Should get her turn with the saw.
Sims
Perocet, gauze,
She working them claws,
Only purpose to draw more bad blood,
Thats a sad war love,
You know that though,
You know those chains were self-imposed
Your words, my stinging molars,
Sing it slow,
Ill curse it while your world is sinking lower
Dessa
Rewind and watch it go backwards,
From last lines to first words,
The flash goes back in the camera,
the flask back in the handbag,
Dont ask,
How after one phone call.
He hit two lovebirds with only one stone wall
Sims
Valentines day at the dead letter office
Looking for my girl like yellow lead better, 214
She said she left to find the meaning of life,
Whatever that means,
I wonder where shes sleeping tonight.
I found your pale faced blue lipped God,
Beneath the kitchen table.
Starving, and eating paper,
He showed me what you wrote and what youd asked,
(Too smart to say what you think)
Love,
(Im too real not to say what I feel)
Nothing can live on prayers like that,
(When it starts to sink,)
Love.
I grab the wheel,
Ill keep on steering for you,
Ill keep on steering for you.
Im in your garden now,
I picked them flowers out,
I went too far right now,
I meant we bottomed out,
You dig for higher ground,
You hit the fire now,
No time for stopping tore the wires out.
(Wires out)
Im in over my head,
Over my head,
You dig me deep, deep, deep,
Lyrics submitted by liesnevermiss
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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.
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.
The ? is "With gold glitterin"
I had to slow it down to x.6 to hear it right.