"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.
She wears her hair real wild
Her nails are perfectly filed
Her lips painted deep jungle red
Her best color is black
And the clothes on her back
Show she's a woman with style
She wears satin and lace with impeccable taste
She'll tell you it runs in her blood
In a cloud of perfume she walks into the room
And it comes to a stop when she does
She's a heart user
No time for losers
She'll use you up and throw your love away
Heart user
A barracuda
She'll use you just don't get in her way
Oozing with charm got a girl on each arm
His eyes match his all over tan
And as he straightens his tie
Some beauty catches his eye
Brings out the best in the man
And her fresh young face makes his cold heart race
She's wearing that deadly perfume
You must admire the skill as he comes in for the kill
It's time to attack make his move
He's a heart user
No time for losers
He'll use you up and throw your love away
Heart user
A barracuda
He'll use you just don't get in his way
Where you been all my life
This is love at first sight
Could swear we've met someone before
She throws back her head
And she shamelessly says
You got real good taste tell me more
Then the lady in black thinks she's setting her trap
And he thinks she's playing his game
But anybody can tell they're just into themselves
They're two of a kind they're the same
They're just heart users
No time for losers
They'll use you up and throw your love away
Heart users
They're barracuda
They'll use you just don't get in their way...
Her nails are perfectly filed
Her lips painted deep jungle red
Her best color is black
And the clothes on her back
Show she's a woman with style
She wears satin and lace with impeccable taste
She'll tell you it runs in her blood
In a cloud of perfume she walks into the room
And it comes to a stop when she does
She's a heart user
No time for losers
She'll use you up and throw your love away
Heart user
A barracuda
She'll use you just don't get in her way
Oozing with charm got a girl on each arm
His eyes match his all over tan
And as he straightens his tie
Some beauty catches his eye
Brings out the best in the man
And her fresh young face makes his cold heart race
She's wearing that deadly perfume
You must admire the skill as he comes in for the kill
It's time to attack make his move
He's a heart user
No time for losers
He'll use you up and throw your love away
Heart user
A barracuda
He'll use you just don't get in his way
Where you been all my life
This is love at first sight
Could swear we've met someone before
She throws back her head
And she shamelessly says
You got real good taste tell me more
Then the lady in black thinks she's setting her trap
And he thinks she's playing his game
But anybody can tell they're just into themselves
They're two of a kind they're the same
They're just heart users
No time for losers
They'll use you up and throw your love away
Heart users
They're barracuda
They'll use you just don't get in their way...
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Heart User Lyrics as written by Terry Britten Sue Shifrin
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Regard Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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,
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.