"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.
They're all gone, she'll rot
Wishing as she swam
that her own moon would be her only friend
But he too is swimming away
an inch more every year and...
Almost forgot, about the other spheres here
It took a few hundred light years
for the bad air to clear
up out of here
Soon now her star will swell
Bloat up, turn bright red
At least that's what we said,
might happen to it
They're all gone, she'll begin
as just elements again
Tumbling in the solar winds
In and out they'll spin
in a different direction
Somewhere else a similar situation
Some random formation,
occuring in the same equation
Building new destruction
"They're all gone", she said
with soar achy fault lines
Still following guidelines
A stones approach
Pushed to swirl in some other new stars light
Soon now too that star will swell,
releasing brand new moons,
Dark matter and toxic fumes
It's just a dusty interstellar saloon
Soon now too that star will swell,
spread out and then shrink up
Some white dwarf will hold your cup half full
Because elsewhere new volcanos erupt
They're all gone, but she'll still be seen
somewhere else melting
Some other eyes absorbing
A new light inside of some new star-ling
Soon now too that light will die,
Soon now too that light will die
but its energy never does
It burns in some other new blood (x3)
Wishing as she swam
that her own moon would be her only friend
But he too is swimming away
an inch more every year and...
Almost forgot, about the other spheres here
It took a few hundred light years
for the bad air to clear
up out of here
Soon now her star will swell
Bloat up, turn bright red
At least that's what we said,
might happen to it
They're all gone, she'll begin
as just elements again
Tumbling in the solar winds
In and out they'll spin
in a different direction
Somewhere else a similar situation
Some random formation,
occuring in the same equation
Building new destruction
"They're all gone", she said
with soar achy fault lines
Still following guidelines
A stones approach
Pushed to swirl in some other new stars light
Soon now too that star will swell,
releasing brand new moons,
Dark matter and toxic fumes
It's just a dusty interstellar saloon
Soon now too that star will swell,
spread out and then shrink up
Some white dwarf will hold your cup half full
Because elsewhere new volcanos erupt
They're all gone, but she'll still be seen
somewhere else melting
Some other eyes absorbing
A new light inside of some new star-ling
Soon now too that light will die,
Soon now too that light will die
but its energy never does
It burns in some other new blood (x3)
Lyrics submitted by CoconutSkins
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Hayalperest
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Punchline
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Page
Ed Sheeran
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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“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.
Yeah definitely agree with the first poster. It's kind of like a "Dust in the Wind" feel, similar to "New Doomsdays." These guys are pretty focused on death and natural reincarnation.
I like how they personify Earth :)
But I also have this annoying tendency to relate every song to myself, lol, so in another sense this is just about a person rediscovering herself. Just like how experiences and phases of life, like phases of the moon, turn and combine and outlast any one person. And it's all the same beginning, birth, and outcome, death. It's like we're all made up of the same stuff as Earth.