"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.
Imagine the surprise, we finally let him know
He has the Devil's eyes, and that's unhealable
In between mean shadows
Sit back, relax, let your mind flow
Forget your worries, all your troubles, let them free now, let them go
In no time you'll be haunted by my words
In no time you'll be stoned like two dead birds
You know I am all you need
Bound to the top of your family tree
And I'll be there everyday
So kick and scream if you feel better, but you'll never get away
You're gonna be surprised, well I've got to let you know
You've got the Devil's eyes, now you're casting out his shadow
Sit back, relax, enjoy the show
Why you rushing? What's your hurry? You ain't got nowhere to go
Just focus on the sound of my voice
No you ain't buying hocus pocus, but I ain't selling you no choice
And you know I am all you need
Bound to the top of your family tree
And I'll be there everyday
So kick and scream if you feel better, but you'll never get away
Don't you turn out the light, don't plan on shutting my eyes
Don't you turn out the light, some things go bump in the night
Afraid of my shadow, afraid of my shadow
He has the Devil's eyes, and that's unhealable
In between mean shadows
Sit back, relax, let your mind flow
Forget your worries, all your troubles, let them free now, let them go
In no time you'll be haunted by my words
In no time you'll be stoned like two dead birds
You know I am all you need
Bound to the top of your family tree
And I'll be there everyday
So kick and scream if you feel better, but you'll never get away
You're gonna be surprised, well I've got to let you know
You've got the Devil's eyes, now you're casting out his shadow
Sit back, relax, enjoy the show
Why you rushing? What's your hurry? You ain't got nowhere to go
Just focus on the sound of my voice
No you ain't buying hocus pocus, but I ain't selling you no choice
And you know I am all you need
Bound to the top of your family tree
And I'll be there everyday
So kick and scream if you feel better, but you'll never get away
Don't you turn out the light, don't plan on shutting my eyes
Don't you turn out the light, some things go bump in the night
Afraid of my shadow, afraid of my shadow
Lyrics submitted by TobyBartholomew
Mean Shadows Lyrics as written by Schuylar Croom Steve Bache
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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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.
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
I think this all correct :) I love this song. I think there is a hidden meaning to this as with most of Schuylar's lyrics.
Maybe something to do with him being schizophrenic? And he's not sure what he's going to do, he is slightly scared? Let me know your interpretations please x
There's only one word... flow should be float, according to the album booklet :)
i think the song could be about weed. how it takes control of him, how other people see him for smoking it, and in some parts just describing how it feels. i'm sure i'm way off. but that's what's so good about their lyrics. the hidden meanings.
you can read the album booklet? holy...<br /> it's so hard haha. I'm not being sarcastic by the way. I admire you for that!
God i cant articulate how much this song blows me away every time i listen to it. Its so damn good, and the slowing down that happens briefly at 2:18 is effin genius. I have no clue what it means. But im of the opinion that when you have such an amazing lyricist like this guy, you get to make em mean whatever you want to mean. Thats what i look for in my lyrics. enough ambiguity to mean so many things, yet clarity that cannot be described
It's hard to imagine lyrics this intense being about something as mild as weed. Drugs in general i could see. I kinda think it's about his view of God. I know they aren't a Christian band because they don't "corporately accept the teachings of Christ", but Schuylar, I'm pretty sure, is a Christian and he writes the lyrics. The song as themes of someone not giving up on you ("You know I am all you need . . . you'll never get away"). Someone could be so far gone (You've got the devil's eyes), but God, in his view, will never let go. Also the line you ain't buying hocus pocus makes me think of religion. Sometimes I think that maybe all the Bible is is a bunch of hocus pocus, but God says no I am more than that. Hocus Pocus could also refer to a drug trip like he's saying no this isn't a hallucination, this shit is real. Idk, I'm leaning toward the religion interpretation myself.
Rob Zombie's Halloween.
Whenever i hear this song I think of the movie Insidious.. am I the only one?