"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.
[Chorus: repeat 2X]
Who's the best emcees?
Ain't no best
Who's the best who's the best
Ain't no best
Who's the best emcees?
Ain't no best
Top 5 dead or alive
Ain't no best
It started out with the legendary Kool Herc
One of the greats in 1980
Kurtis Blow hit us with The Breaks
From then it was on
Two years later Melle Mel dropped the Message
Round the same time I was born
Grandmaster Caz cold crushin' it was evident
Rakim campaignin Eric B For President
Straight out the Bronx came the one known as Kris
Boogie Down Productions rap is gettin dissed
Kane held the throne the streets knew it was his
Ever since they heard him just rhymin with Biz
Slick Rick took us on Adventures with his bling
Kool Moe Dee told us that Knowledge Is King
Meanwhile, LL was Rockin the Bells
Chuck D and Ice T told the cops go to hell
G Rap was Kool RUN was the sire
Sucker MC's I never admire
[Chorus x2]
10th grade I became a hip-hop addict ass backwards
Copped It Was Written and then Illmatic
Some say Ready To Die was Biggie's best
But then again there's always Life After Death
Way before Dame and Jay changed views and split
On the real 22 2's was my shit
Just when you thought Pac only brought drama
He had joints like Keep Ya Head Up and Dear Mama
Pun did it his way just like Carlito
Big L murdered it on Stretch and Bobbito
My man B put me on to Havoc and P
Infamous will forever be a classic to me
ODBs soul has just entered the buildin
Puffy is good but Wu Tang is for the children
Scarface ya mind playin tricks just illusions
Pharoah Monch out to Organize the confusion
Tryin to figure out this fly chick I discovered
At the same time Common said He Used to Love Her
Buckshot with his Camp Click laced up in boots
Big up to Black Thought never forgot his Roots
Keep some Dirty Rotten Scoundrel in my stereo
Can't forget Busta's verse on Scenario
Keith Murray was a lyrical assassin
When Reggie grabbed the mic it was time for some action
Party Anthem's Treach rocked without rehearsal
The Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal
Blackstar better yet Kweli and Mos
The in and out flow belongs to Jada and the Ghost
Before every X verse you hear the dogs bark
OutKast changed the game
Just ask Rosa Parks
[Chorus x2]
Mic skills ain't got nothin to do with ya gender
Clef 's ill but L Boogie was my favorite member
Out the Fugees the tightest to drop
Latifah's the Queen other chicks are Lyte as rock
Before NWA's family feud
Who kicked that gangsta shit like Eazy E and Cube
But still true lyricists smashin the cuts
Up verbally like Ras Kass and Kurupt
E-40 Mac Dre holdin down the bay
Still doin the thizz even though he passed away
Rest in peace it ain't about west or east
Coast beef the media can be a beast
Overnight acts just wanna top the charts
No intentions to contribute to the art
I absolutely refuse to let it fall apart
The Emcee is crafty we here to make our mark
They wanna know
[Chorus 4x]
Who's the best emcees?
Ain't no best
Who's the best who's the best
Ain't no best
Who's the best emcees?
Ain't no best
Top 5 dead or alive
Ain't no best
It started out with the legendary Kool Herc
One of the greats in 1980
Kurtis Blow hit us with The Breaks
From then it was on
Two years later Melle Mel dropped the Message
Round the same time I was born
Grandmaster Caz cold crushin' it was evident
Rakim campaignin Eric B For President
Straight out the Bronx came the one known as Kris
Boogie Down Productions rap is gettin dissed
Kane held the throne the streets knew it was his
Ever since they heard him just rhymin with Biz
Slick Rick took us on Adventures with his bling
Kool Moe Dee told us that Knowledge Is King
Meanwhile, LL was Rockin the Bells
Chuck D and Ice T told the cops go to hell
G Rap was Kool RUN was the sire
Sucker MC's I never admire
[Chorus x2]
10th grade I became a hip-hop addict ass backwards
Copped It Was Written and then Illmatic
Some say Ready To Die was Biggie's best
But then again there's always Life After Death
Way before Dame and Jay changed views and split
On the real 22 2's was my shit
Just when you thought Pac only brought drama
He had joints like Keep Ya Head Up and Dear Mama
Pun did it his way just like Carlito
Big L murdered it on Stretch and Bobbito
My man B put me on to Havoc and P
Infamous will forever be a classic to me
ODBs soul has just entered the buildin
Puffy is good but Wu Tang is for the children
Scarface ya mind playin tricks just illusions
Pharoah Monch out to Organize the confusion
Tryin to figure out this fly chick I discovered
At the same time Common said He Used to Love Her
Buckshot with his Camp Click laced up in boots
Big up to Black Thought never forgot his Roots
Keep some Dirty Rotten Scoundrel in my stereo
Can't forget Busta's verse on Scenario
Keith Murray was a lyrical assassin
When Reggie grabbed the mic it was time for some action
Party Anthem's Treach rocked without rehearsal
The Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal
Blackstar better yet Kweli and Mos
The in and out flow belongs to Jada and the Ghost
Before every X verse you hear the dogs bark
OutKast changed the game
Just ask Rosa Parks
[Chorus x2]
Mic skills ain't got nothin to do with ya gender
Clef 's ill but L Boogie was my favorite member
Out the Fugees the tightest to drop
Latifah's the Queen other chicks are Lyte as rock
Before NWA's family feud
Who kicked that gangsta shit like Eazy E and Cube
But still true lyricists smashin the cuts
Up verbally like Ras Kass and Kurupt
E-40 Mac Dre holdin down the bay
Still doin the thizz even though he passed away
Rest in peace it ain't about west or east
Coast beef the media can be a beast
Overnight acts just wanna top the charts
No intentions to contribute to the art
I absolutely refuse to let it fall apart
The Emcee is crafty we here to make our mark
They wanna know
[Chorus 4x]
Lyrics submitted by Dragon19
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"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."
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/