"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.
The night's a spill, a permanent stain
The city soaks in silence, salt and dirty snow
A blue glow from the TV again
The curtains never open, faces never show
And every time a light is turned on
There's a light that's turned off somewhere
For every other moment that's lost
There's a perfect cost, there's a debt you can't share
Clock stopped at the corner of Albert will show
Your last bus left an hour ago
So stumble down the stairs again
Pretend you're not too proud
To understand and still know when
Your voice cuts through the crowd
Lonely people talk too loud
The night's a spill, a permanent stain
The city soaks in silence, salt and dirty snow
A blue glow from the TV again
The curtains never open, faces never show
And every night they play the same song
To the same offbeat believers
And everyone is singing along
Wearing blue-black eyes, wearing dead men's neck-ties
Clock stopped at the corner of Albert will show
Your last bus left an hour ago
So stumble down the stairs again
Pretend you're not too proud
To understand and still know when
Your voice cuts through the crowd
Lonely people talk too loud
Numbers on a washroom stall
There's always more than one last call calling you
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
The city soaks in silence, salt and dirty snow
A blue glow from the TV again
The curtains never open, faces never show
And every time a light is turned on
There's a light that's turned off somewhere
For every other moment that's lost
There's a perfect cost, there's a debt you can't share
Clock stopped at the corner of Albert will show
Your last bus left an hour ago
So stumble down the stairs again
Pretend you're not too proud
To understand and still know when
Your voice cuts through the crowd
Lonely people talk too loud
The night's a spill, a permanent stain
The city soaks in silence, salt and dirty snow
A blue glow from the TV again
The curtains never open, faces never show
And every night they play the same song
To the same offbeat believers
And everyone is singing along
Wearing blue-black eyes, wearing dead men's neck-ties
Clock stopped at the corner of Albert will show
Your last bus left an hour ago
So stumble down the stairs again
Pretend you're not too proud
To understand and still know when
Your voice cuts through the crowd
Lonely people talk too loud
Numbers on a washroom stall
There's always more than one last call calling you
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes
Lyrics submitted by sillymoose13
Wellington's Wednesdays Lyrics as written by John K Samson
Lyrics © MOTHERSHIP MUSIC PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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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.
Oh you got blue eyes Oh you got green eyes Oh you got greeeeeeey eeeeeeeyes
Once again, living in Winnipeg helps... Wellington's is/was a bar/club/strip joint in the basement of the St. Charles Hotel on the corner of Albert and Notre Dame, downtown. Its one of those hotels that defines the word "dive". Mostly monthly tennants, sorta place where you might rent a room by the hour. Hence the "curtains never open, the faces never show", "blue glow from the tv", lights turning on and off. Just stand on Notre Dame and look at what you see in the St. Charles at night... Although I think it is currently closed.
Wellington's was a popular spot for punk scene at one time, hence the stumble down the stairs, blue-black eye shadow/dead men necktie wearing crowd.
I absolutely LOVE this song. It gives me more energy than Manitoba Hydro...
"and every time a ligh's turned on, there's a light that's turned off somewhere..."
"and every night they play the same song to the same offbeat believers.."
i do talk too loud.....
What the hell is he talking about!? Me need understanding... Besides making no sense to me, I love this song.
so, what the hell, did the weakerthans listen to new order growing up? that can't be a coincidence. and, yeah, no clue what it means. what's wellington, anyway? i don't feel like looking it up.
This songs ends the same way 'Temptation' by New Order begin, lyric-wise.
cobaltblue - i'm pretty sure they ended this song with the beginning of that song on purpose.
there's something that has to tie Wellington's and 'Temptation' by New Order together for the weakerthans.
... i do things like that in the songs i write. because i only really play for my friends (and the occasional stranger... or a bunch of strangers when i play on the street) - i reference songs that mean something that we understand. for example ' my generation ' by spoonboy. it seems to be some sort of anthem for the people i love. strange, really. but it makes sense.
uhh. i feel really ridiculous right now?
ahh weird. i watched trainspotting just the other night and there's a scene where diane sings those lyrics from temptation. the next day my friend calls and goes "DUDE THERE IS A WEAKERTHANS REF IN TRAINSPOTTING" and i was just all "no wai dude that's new order"
the ending is so good. I could just listen to on loop forever.