"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.
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
God's children were slaves in Egypt land
So God took Moses by the hand
He said Moses tell old Pharaoh to set 'em free
But Moses wanted a way to get out
Cause in his mind he's beginning to doubt
He said Lord old Pharaoh he ain't a gonna listen to me
Now the Lord said son throw down that rod
Old Moses did and he cried to God
Cause it turned to a snake as evil and wicked as sin
Then he cried again with an awful wail
The Lord said seize him by the tail
Old Moses did and it turned to a rod again
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
Well the Lord said Moses I've got power
An I'll be with you every hour
Said go tell Pharaoh to set my children free
Well Moses did but the Lord helped out
He sent a plague to the land about
So old Pharaoh told him to go and let him be
Well they started out with a cloud that day
And a fire by night to lead the way
But old Pharaoh suddenly decided to change his mind
So he gathered together his soldier band
Got all them chariots throughout the land
Said I'll let them Israelites go some other time
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
Well they came to the banks of the old Red Sea
Turned to Moses and started to plea
And Moses fell on his knees an there is the sand
The Lord told Moses trust in God
All ya gotta do is just raise that rod
And over these mighty waters stretch your hand
Well Moses followed the Lord's command
The waters parted and there is the sand
They saw a path that led to the other shore
Well the ground was dry and they passed on through
And old Pharaoh's army thought they would to
But the waters fell ain't never been seen no more
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
God's children were slaves in Egypt land
So God took Moses by the hand
He said Moses tell old Pharaoh to set 'em free
But Moses wanted a way to get out
Cause in his mind he's beginning to doubt
He said Lord old Pharaoh he ain't a gonna listen to me
Now the Lord said son throw down that rod
Old Moses did and he cried to God
Cause it turned to a snake as evil and wicked as sin
Then he cried again with an awful wail
The Lord said seize him by the tail
Old Moses did and it turned to a rod again
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
Well the Lord said Moses I've got power
An I'll be with you every hour
Said go tell Pharaoh to set my children free
Well Moses did but the Lord helped out
He sent a plague to the land about
So old Pharaoh told him to go and let him be
Well they started out with a cloud that day
And a fire by night to lead the way
But old Pharaoh suddenly decided to change his mind
So he gathered together his soldier band
Got all them chariots throughout the land
Said I'll let them Israelites go some other time
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
Well they came to the banks of the old Red Sea
Turned to Moses and started to plea
And Moses fell on his knees an there is the sand
The Lord told Moses trust in God
All ya gotta do is just raise that rod
And over these mighty waters stretch your hand
Well Moses followed the Lord's command
The waters parted and there is the sand
They saw a path that led to the other shore
Well the ground was dry and they passed on through
And old Pharaoh's army thought they would to
But the waters fell ain't never been seen no more
God promised to lead His children out of bondage
He said He'd free them from Pharaoh's evil hand
He said He'd guide and protect them on their journey
And lead them to the promised land
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Led Out of Bondage Lyrics as written by Bob Prather
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.