"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 more I want to be me, the less I know myself
The living left to die, while ghosts are brought to life
Welcome to these slave trades
Drained of delusion and buried in debt
How the hell do we find each other suffering auto intoxication
But disaster isn't coming, it's already arrived
I am so lucky, I think that I survived
I am what I am, my body belongs to me
My work will set me free and fulfill my dreams
A new economy embraces the ruins
It makes us strong and soothes our fears
Welcome to these slave trades
Drained of delusion and buried in debt
How the hell do we find each other suffering auto intoxication
But disaster isn't coming, it's already arrived
I am so lucky, I think that I survived
The living left to die, while ghosts are brought to life
Welcome to these slave trades
Drained of delusion and buried in debt
How the hell do we find each other suffering auto intoxication
But disaster isn't coming, it's already arrived
I am so lucky, I think that I survived
I am what I am, my body belongs to me
My work will set me free and fulfill my dreams
A new economy embraces the ruins
It makes us strong and soothes our fears
Welcome to these slave trades
Drained of delusion and buried in debt
How the hell do we find each other suffering auto intoxication
But disaster isn't coming, it's already arrived
I am so lucky, I think that I survived
Lyrics submitted by deltasunlight
Auto Intoxication Lyrics as written by Nicholas Jones James Bradfield
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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.
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
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"'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/
Punchline
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I always thought it was "Welcome to the new slave trade." Like much of "Postcards...", this song is closely related to virtual world obsession. Auto-intoxication I think can be viewed as self-absorption as well in this song... The idea that in an online world people can labour under the illusion they are powerful and entirely self-reliant, yet in reality the 'intoxication' is merely ego-based, and therefore empty. The 'new slave trade' bit I think is mostly to do with how easily we surrender our liberties online with things like personal information swapping, the overall reliance on the internet in modern times and the totally false sense of being in control.
I think it's about today's world. You sleep, you work, you eat and then you die without thinking and without protesting and live your life like a sheep of Panurge.
'I think Auto-Intoxication is the most... slanted track on the record. It's got John Cale on... y'know, I guess growing up he was the first person from Wales, really, who- like a hero to us who seemed like you could be in the coolest rock band of all time, and he's probably the one person I've met in my entire life that I can say is an utter musical genius. I actually wrote the lyrics for The Klaxons after doing a festival in Hungary and had a very drunken conversation about a book called The Coming Insurrection by The Invisible Committee, but nothing ever came of it. I think they could have done with it to be honest...'