"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.
All these kinds of places
Make it seem like it's been ages
And tomorrow some new building will scrape the sky
I love this country dearly
I can feel the ladder clearly
But never thought I'd be alone to try
Once I was outside Penn Station
Selling red and white carnations
We were still alone
My wife and I
Before we married, save my money
Brought my dear wife over
Now I work to bring my family state side
But off the boat they stayed a while
Then scattered cross the coast
Once a year I'll see them for a week or so at most
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Practice isn't perfect
But the market cuts a loss
I remind myself that times could be much worse
My wife won't ask me questions
And there's not so much to ask
And she'll never flaunt around an empty purse
Once my mother-in-law came
Just to stay a couple nights
Then decided she would stay the rest of her life
I watch my little children, play some board game in the kitchen
And I sit and pray they never feel my strife
But then my partner called to say the pension funds were gone
He made some bad investments
Now the accounts are overdrawn
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Honey it's your son I think I borrowed just too much
We had taxes, we had bills
We had a lifestyle to front
And tonight I swear I'll come home
And we'll make love like we're young
And tomorrow you'll cook dinner
For the neighbors and the kids
We could rip apart the socialists
And all their damn taxes
You'll see I am no criminal
I'm down on both bad knees
I'm just too much a coward
To admit when I'm in need
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Make it seem like it's been ages
And tomorrow some new building will scrape the sky
I love this country dearly
I can feel the ladder clearly
But never thought I'd be alone to try
Once I was outside Penn Station
Selling red and white carnations
We were still alone
My wife and I
Before we married, save my money
Brought my dear wife over
Now I work to bring my family state side
But off the boat they stayed a while
Then scattered cross the coast
Once a year I'll see them for a week or so at most
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
I take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Practice isn't perfect
But the market cuts a loss
I remind myself that times could be much worse
My wife won't ask me questions
And there's not so much to ask
And she'll never flaunt around an empty purse
Once my mother-in-law came
Just to stay a couple nights
Then decided she would stay the rest of her life
I watch my little children, play some board game in the kitchen
And I sit and pray they never feel my strife
But then my partner called to say the pension funds were gone
He made some bad investments
Now the accounts are overdrawn
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Honey it's your son I think I borrowed just too much
We had taxes, we had bills
We had a lifestyle to front
And tonight I swear I'll come home
And we'll make love like we're young
And tomorrow you'll cook dinner
For the neighbors and the kids
We could rip apart the socialists
And all their damn taxes
You'll see I am no criminal
I'm down on both bad knees
I'm just too much a coward
To admit when I'm in need
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
Take a walk, oh-oh-oh
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
I took a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Take a walk, take a walk, take a walk
Lyrics submitted by Vindie, edited by Lyonnais, tigerx2374, Quimby2999, kerrigwen, bassmaster, ChanceWolf, aris854, Wellogs, MusicMom, MrHooch, applebite, thetim215, notabird, BaiJR, Crosshair_studios, Aamto24, daveknowsb, daisychain26, UnitLambda, bbt, thisis2, jniemasik, jeremytell, zephar26, karmapuhlease, teodell70, bobjank, jessee, tedsbassface, dawnkittt, kat40915, allnatural, tipsyCheshire, supdup, jjf1218, natstachio
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More Featured Meanings
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.
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,
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Stepping back. The framework is a look at his family and what they went through. This song, however, is great is because of the theme. It's about how the leader of a family or his own life takes burdens on themselves.
This is my song this week, i love it. <br /> "I can feel the ladder clearly" could be the corporate ladder, and climbing it. Coupled with imagery of buildings rising.<br /> "selling red and white carnations" I thought at first to be a euphemism for dealing drugs, but that doesn't seem to fit. I'm still wondering about the symbolism.<br /> Every time I listen I hear the verse:<br /> "Honey, it’s your son<br /> I think I borrowed just too much<br /> We had taxes, we had bills<br /> We had a lifestyle to front<br /> And tonight I swear I’ll come home<br /> And we’ll make love like we’re young"<br /> Maybe just carelessness on the part of the writer, but i doubt it, given the complexity of the rest of the song. I'm looking at "Honey, it's your son...we'll make love like we're young" anybody else see what I'm getting at?<br /> <br /> In all, the song is about a man who is working towards a better life for his family, but he faced challenges and some of his expectations were not met. Disillusionment plays a role, as he realizes that coming to the US did not instantly solve all his problems. He still has family members living with him (mother in law), children to raise, a wife who is very focused on "having a lifestyle to front", like she is living beyond their means. He deals with it all by separating himself and taking a walk. Beautiful.
Oops, meant to post that as a general comment