"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.
Will you remember me
As the one from the trees
When the forests used to sing
Or when I locked myself
In the heart of the wood
And threw away the key?
You just kept giving yourself away
A gift to cherish until piece by piece
You laid before the roots of time
Day by day the nights swallow the sun
And with every night the more you gave
Your sadness came undone
You just kept slipping through the cracks
Cracks of my fingertips
I only hope that you remember me
As the one from the trees
When the forests used to sing
Instead of when I locked myself
In the heart of the wood
And threw away the key
You're not desire
You're just a fucking widow
Weaving webs among the woods
I'm not the answer
But if you take my hand
I'll show you the world of the dead
There you were smiling into the night
I watched you sing for hours on end
We're the telltale spiders
Spinning webs and singing songs
Sharing your stories with the moon and the trees
With a world which strung you along
I've shut you out
I don't like your stories anymore
They always end so fucking sad
Fuck
I've turned my back
I've turned my back
On you for good
Just keep smiling into the night
I watched you pass me by
Every night you died
With a smile on your face
In my dreams you wept blood
From your eyes
Just keep smiling into the night
My beautiful bride
Just keep smiling into the night
My beautiful bride
I fell for your bleeding crimson eyes
Just so youjust so you know
I'll always remember you
As the telltale spider
When darkness crept into our days
Sharing stories with the world
Until piece by piece you gave your heart away
You're not desire
You're just a fucking widow
Weaving webs among the woods
I'm not the answer
But if you take my hand
I'll show you the world of the dead
I hate sad stories
They always end the same
I'll never forget how the forest wept
When you gave yourself away
As the one from the trees
When the forests used to sing
Or when I locked myself
In the heart of the wood
And threw away the key?
You just kept giving yourself away
A gift to cherish until piece by piece
You laid before the roots of time
Day by day the nights swallow the sun
And with every night the more you gave
Your sadness came undone
You just kept slipping through the cracks
Cracks of my fingertips
I only hope that you remember me
As the one from the trees
When the forests used to sing
Instead of when I locked myself
In the heart of the wood
And threw away the key
You're not desire
You're just a fucking widow
Weaving webs among the woods
I'm not the answer
But if you take my hand
I'll show you the world of the dead
There you were smiling into the night
I watched you sing for hours on end
We're the telltale spiders
Spinning webs and singing songs
Sharing your stories with the moon and the trees
With a world which strung you along
I've shut you out
I don't like your stories anymore
They always end so fucking sad
Fuck
I've turned my back
I've turned my back
On you for good
Just keep smiling into the night
I watched you pass me by
Every night you died
With a smile on your face
In my dreams you wept blood
From your eyes
Just keep smiling into the night
My beautiful bride
Just keep smiling into the night
My beautiful bride
I fell for your bleeding crimson eyes
Just so youjust so you know
I'll always remember you
As the telltale spider
When darkness crept into our days
Sharing stories with the world
Until piece by piece you gave your heart away
You're not desire
You're just a fucking widow
Weaving webs among the woods
I'm not the answer
But if you take my hand
I'll show you the world of the dead
I hate sad stories
They always end the same
I'll never forget how the forest wept
When you gave yourself away
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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"
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'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/
im guessing this song is about somone dieing? i dont know.. freaking love this song though! makes me want to punch someone, love it! hahah if anyone knows the real real meaning please tell!
Source: facebook.com/notes/make-them-suffer/song-meaningsconcept/10150994443847737
-Widower- Widower is more of a stand-alone track, it ties in with the entirety of the concept quite loosely. Some people seem to understand it very easily. A lot of people have absolutely no idea what the heck I'm on about. Personally for me it's certainly one of the more comprehendible songs on the album, for this reason I'll keep it reasonably short. Here is a key to assist:
The Woods - Social construct/community Widow - Female Weaving Webs - Sleeping around Giving away - Also sleeping around Sharing stories - letting down you guard and showing your insecurities
If the key itself wasn't obvious enough, this line sums up the song perfectly "day by day the nights swallowed the sun, and with every night the more you gave, your sadness came undone". The song is about girls with little self respect who feel the need to sleep around because it gives them temporary comfort or relief from sadness/depression. Pretty simple really. Fun fact - the girl of the story is a "widow" and the song is called "widower". For those unaware a widower is a husband who has lost his wife (duh), so why didn't I call it "Widow". 1. Widower sounds cooler 2. because if she's a widow, and i'm a widower, and we're together, then we both must be dead. Only through this fact does the line "If you take my hand, I'll show you the world of the dead" make sense.
My interpretation of the song is about a guy whos reflecting on a girl he once loved. The woman is the widower or the widow as in black widow- the spider whom he talks about through the song. He considers her toxic and having a problem with lies "weaving webs" . Theres a saying "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." This is evident in the context of the song. He talks about watching her from a distance going on and on with lies "I watched you sing for hours on end." And also how she shared the lies with everyone spreading rumors "Sharing your stories with moon and the trees, with a world which strung you along." He tried so hard to keep her but he couldnt take it anymore so he shut her out. "You just keep slipping through the cracks of my fingertips. " He talks about how he lust her and though she was beautiful she was just to toxic for his heart to take. "I fell for your bleeding crimson eyes, just so you know." Though he tries to degrade her "You're not desire. You're just a fucking widow, weaving webs among the woods" deep down you can tell that he really loved her as the image of her had such an effect that he dreamt her " In my dreams, you wept blood from your eyes. Just keep smiling into the night, my beautiful bride." This song is truly a master piece at capturing the hurt and pain of this love story that ended on bad terms.
I wanted to add on here "I'll always remember you as the tell-tale spider, when darkness crept into our days. Sharing stories with the world until piece by piece, you gave your heart away." He calls out the betrayal in this part reminding her that he will always remember her but in a negative way for the lies and pain she did to him and also here "I'll never forget how the forests wept, when you gave yourself away."