"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.
Knowledge came and devastated
Pressure building behind her eyes
Breathing buried under the weight
Will she, has she died also this day
Her death has been swallowed up by life
This dead will rise
Dying to death and raising to life
The moment we became alive death was waiting, chasing
And all of us fell and kept breathing
One day, today
A sprit’s alive, a body has died
And death has been swallowed up by life
This death will rise
Dying to death and raising to life
With mournful joy she finally lets out her cry
Death has been swallowed life
This dead will rise
In the middle of
All the business
A call to be still
Multitude of words
Quiet be still
And death has been swallowed up by life
This death will rise
Dying to death and raising to life
With mournful joy she finally lets out her cry
Death has been swallowed life
This dead will rise
Oh rise, oh rise
Rise, oh rise
Pressure building behind her eyes
Breathing buried under the weight
Will she, has she died also this day
Her death has been swallowed up by life
This dead will rise
Dying to death and raising to life
The moment we became alive death was waiting, chasing
And all of us fell and kept breathing
One day, today
A sprit’s alive, a body has died
And death has been swallowed up by life
This death will rise
Dying to death and raising to life
With mournful joy she finally lets out her cry
Death has been swallowed life
This dead will rise
In the middle of
All the business
A call to be still
Multitude of words
Quiet be still
And death has been swallowed up by life
This death will rise
Dying to death and raising to life
With mournful joy she finally lets out her cry
Death has been swallowed life
This dead will rise
Oh rise, oh rise
Rise, oh rise
Lyrics submitted by 11milleran
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
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/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
it's hard to tell if this is talking about someone physically dying or someone being born again (from a Christian's perspective). It's interesting to see the title of the song being "Uncle Bobby", and I'm starting to think this is Lacey's perspective on what happened. It could be that maybe her uncle (and im taking this literal) might've been born again, and then somehow he had died causing her to "With mournful joy she finally lets out her cry" but she rejoices because she know's that her uncle's physical body has died but his spirit has gone into Heaven "Death has been swallowed by life, this dead will rise. Oh rise, oh rise." It's a quite interesting story/lyrics, and I'm really loving the melody of the song. I didn't pay too much attention until I started reading the lyrics. I LOVE this song.
@miguelsolorio Lacey actually wrote a book and the guy who helped them to get a record deal was a guy named Bobby. He died in a car crash so his wife wanted the band to make a concert for Bobby's memorial. Lacey said that the guy who did the sound. she also said that they sounded like crap. When he was alive he helped them not sound like crap.<br />