"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 festival was over and the boys were all planning for a fall
The cabaret was quiet except for the drilling in the wall
The curfew had been lifted and the gambling wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town
He was standing in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts
He moved across the mirrored room, "Set ?em up for everyone", he said
Then everyone commenced to do what
They've been doin' before he moved their heads
He walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin
"Would you kindly tell me, Mister, what time the show begins?"
He moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts
Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs
Lily had two queens and she was hopin' for a third to match her pair
Outside the streets were fillin' up and the window was open wide
The gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts
Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine
He made his usual entrance lookin' oh, so dandy and so fine
With his bodyguards and his silver cane and every hair in place
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste
But his bodyguards and his silver cane
They were no match for the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town
She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear
"I'm sorry, darlin', that I'm late", but he didn't seem to hear
He was staring into space over at the Jack of Hearts
Well, I know I've seen that face somewhere
Big Jim was thinkin' to himself
Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet
And the house lights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him
Starin' at the butterfly who just drew up the Jack of Hearts
Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child
She had that certain something
It was a kind of a flash every time she smiled
She'd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life who took her everywhere
But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts
The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined
The drilling in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind
It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring
And nothin? could ever come between Lily and the king
No, nothing ever could except maybe the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife
She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife
She'd done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide
Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died
She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts
Lily took her dress off, buried it away
"Has your luck run out", she laughed at him
"I guess you must've known it would someday
Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint
I'm glad to see you're still alive and you're lookin' like a saint"
Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair
"There's something funny goin' on, I know, I can just feel it in the air"
He went to get the hangin' judge but the hangin' judge was drunk
And the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk
But there was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts
Lily had her arms around the man that she dearly loved to touch
She forgot all about the man she hated, who hounded her so much
"I've missed you so", she said to him and he thought she was sincere
But in the hallway he felt jealousy and fear
Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts
Well, no one knew the circumstance
But they say it happened pretty quick
The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked
And Big Jim was standin' there, you couldn't say surprised
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes
She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts
Two doors down and the boys finally made it through the wall
Cleaned out the bank safe, it's said that they got off with quite a haul
And in the darkness of the riverbed, they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town
But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts
Well, the next day was hangin' day
And the sky was overcast and black
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back
And Rosemary on the gallows, boy, she didn't even blink
And the hangin' judge was sober, Lord, he hadn't had a drink
And the only person on the scene missing was the Jack of Hearts
Well, the cabaret was quiet now and a sign said, 'Closed for repair'
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair
She was thinkin' 'bout her father whom she very rarely saw
Thinkin' about Rosemary and thinkin' about the law
But most of all she was thinkin' about the Jack of Hearts
The cabaret was quiet except for the drilling in the wall
The curfew had been lifted and the gambling wheel shut down
Anyone with any sense had already left town
He was standing in the doorway lookin' like the Jack of Hearts
He moved across the mirrored room, "Set ?em up for everyone", he said
Then everyone commenced to do what
They've been doin' before he moved their heads
He walked up to a stranger and he asked him with a grin
"Would you kindly tell me, Mister, what time the show begins?"
He moved into the corner, face down like the Jack of Hearts
Backstage the girls were playin' five-card stud by the stairs
Lily had two queens and she was hopin' for a third to match her pair
Outside the streets were fillin' up and the window was open wide
The gentle breeze was blowin', you could feel it from inside
Lily called another bet and drew up the Jack of Hearts
Big Jim was no one's fool, he owned the town's only diamond mine
He made his usual entrance lookin' oh, so dandy and so fine
With his bodyguards and his silver cane and every hair in place
He took whatever he wanted to and he laid it all to waste
But his bodyguards and his silver cane
They were no match for the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary combed her hair and took a carriage into town
She slipped in through the side door lookin' like a queen without a crown
She fluttered her false eyelashes and whispered in his ear
"I'm sorry, darlin', that I'm late", but he didn't seem to hear
He was staring into space over at the Jack of Hearts
Well, I know I've seen that face somewhere
Big Jim was thinkin' to himself
Maybe down in Mexico or a picture up on somebody's shelf
But then the crowd began to stamp their feet
And the house lights did dim
And in the darkness of the room there was only Jim and him
Starin' at the butterfly who just drew up the Jack of Hearts
Lily was a princess, she was fair-skinned and precious as a child
She had that certain something
It was a kind of a flash every time she smiled
She'd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs
With men in every walk of life who took her everywhere
But she'd never met anyone quite like the Jack of Hearts
The hangin' judge came in unnoticed and was being wined and dined
The drilling in the wall kept up but no one seemed to pay it any mind
It was known all around that Lily had Jim's ring
And nothin? could ever come between Lily and the king
No, nothing ever could except maybe the Jack of Hearts
Rosemary started drinkin' hard and seein' her reflection in the knife
She was tired of the attention, tired of playin' the role of Big Jim's wife
She'd done a lot of bad things, even once tried suicide
Was lookin' to do just one good deed before she died
She was gazin' to the future, riding on the Jack of Hearts
Lily took her dress off, buried it away
"Has your luck run out", she laughed at him
"I guess you must've known it would someday
Be careful not to touch the wall, there's a brand-new coat of paint
I'm glad to see you're still alive and you're lookin' like a saint"
Down the hallway footsteps were comin' for the Jack of Hearts
The backstage manager was pacing all around by his chair
"There's something funny goin' on, I know, I can just feel it in the air"
He went to get the hangin' judge but the hangin' judge was drunk
And the leading actor hurried by in the costume of a monk
But there was no actor anywhere better than the Jack of Hearts
Lily had her arms around the man that she dearly loved to touch
She forgot all about the man she hated, who hounded her so much
"I've missed you so", she said to him and he thought she was sincere
But in the hallway he felt jealousy and fear
Just another night in the life of the Jack of Hearts
Well, no one knew the circumstance
But they say it happened pretty quick
The door to the dressing room burst open and a cold revolver clicked
And Big Jim was standin' there, you couldn't say surprised
Rosemary right beside him, steady in her eyes
She was with Big Jim but she was leanin' to the Jack of Hearts
Two doors down and the boys finally made it through the wall
Cleaned out the bank safe, it's said that they got off with quite a haul
And in the darkness of the riverbed, they waited on the ground
For one more member who had business back in town
But they couldn't go no further without the Jack of Hearts
Well, the next day was hangin' day
And the sky was overcast and black
Big Jim lay covered up, killed by a penknife in the back
And Rosemary on the gallows, boy, she didn't even blink
And the hangin' judge was sober, Lord, he hadn't had a drink
And the only person on the scene missing was the Jack of Hearts
Well, the cabaret was quiet now and a sign said, 'Closed for repair'
Lily had already taken all of the dye out of her hair
She was thinkin' 'bout her father whom she very rarely saw
Thinkin' about Rosemary and thinkin' about the law
But most of all she was thinkin' about the Jack of Hearts
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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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"
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
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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.