"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.
Yet again we're the only ones
No surprise, this is often how it's done
Lately it's about all I can take
I will move and mend and mold this break
Shell with another crack
I'm small but I can keep track
Too soon, everyone just step away
I'm sure this isn't the last play
Take it all in stride
Speak, don't confide
We barely had a case
It's done before we try
Stop and end by night
A desert in your face
Take score, even playing fields this game
I know when all's said we're the same
If I could I would leave it all be
No chance to move backwards and see
Take it all in stride
Speak, don't confide
We barely had a case
It's done before we try
Stop and end by night
A desert in your face
Take it all in stride
Speak, don't confide
We barely had a case
It's done before we try
Stop and end by night
A desert in your face
No surprise, this is often how it's done
Lately it's about all I can take
I will move and mend and mold this break
Shell with another crack
I'm small but I can keep track
Too soon, everyone just step away
I'm sure this isn't the last play
Take it all in stride
Speak, don't confide
We barely had a case
It's done before we try
Stop and end by night
A desert in your face
Take score, even playing fields this game
I know when all's said we're the same
If I could I would leave it all be
No chance to move backwards and see
Take it all in stride
Speak, don't confide
We barely had a case
It's done before we try
Stop and end by night
A desert in your face
Take it all in stride
Speak, don't confide
We barely had a case
It's done before we try
Stop and end by night
A desert in your face
Lyrics submitted by Visnet, edited by emilyeldredge
Yet Again Lyrics as written by Christopher Robert Bear Christopher M. Taylor
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
I also think that he's singing "desert in your face," rather than "desert in deface."
Just watched the Colbert Report performance again a few times, and he's saying "I will move and mend and mold this break" at the end of the first stanza
I'd suggest these changes-
"Bear behind the case" becomes "barely had a case" "Keep score, even playing fields is game" becomes "keep score, even playing fields, this game, I know when all said we're the same".
Thanks, I've submitted the corrections.<br /> <br /> Now we only need the forth sentence of the first verse...
i'm not sure about the other lyrics, but I heard the first line as: "Yet again we're the only ones" and in the second verse: "Too soon, everyone just step away"
ace song though.
Songmeanings won't remove or let me remove this one...<br /> Please check out the other version with more comments.
For the chorus, I think it's:
"Take it all in stride" Speak, don't confide "Bare behind the case" It's done before we try Stop and end by night Desert in your face
For the 1st line, besides hearing these words, I think it's less likely that they'd rhyme 'try' with 'try' in the 4th line, but I could be wrong. In the 3rd line, 'bare' as opposed to 'bear' makes more sense to me. I could be wrong, of course!
I try to submit corrections to this song, but SongMeanings doesn't seem to work. They don't modify anything...!
I wish I could delete this post. It's irrelevant now.
Made corrections to match the original lyrics from the official vinyl release.
This song is about the war between self preservation and what the heart wants in the immediate. I picture it as a conversation between two friends at the end of a party. Normally they would go home and sleep together, but in the narrator has a moment of clarity; they're both emotionally damaged, and need to take a step back from one another. He goes on to try and explain, and although he can't read her emotionless expression, he knows that tomorrow she will wake up and realize the same thing too. However, he is still resigned to the fact that it is impossible to turn back time to when they were "just friends".
I personally think the lyrics are
Yet again we're the only one's No surprise this is often how it's done They leave and it's about all I can take I will abandon all this break
Shallow whip and another crack I'm small but I can keep track Too soon everyone just step away I'm sure this isn't the last play
Take it all in stride speak but don't confide You barely had a case It's done before we try It's dark and then by night they desert in your face
Keep score an even playing fields the same I know when all's said we're insane If I could I would leave it all be No chance to move backwards and see
Take it all in stride Speak don't confide You barely had a case It's done before we try It's dark and then by night they desert in your face
Take it all in stride Speak don't confide You barely had a case It's done before we try It's dark and then by night they desert in your face
Yet again we're the only one's No surprise this is often how it's done They leave and it's about all I can take I will mend and mold this break
Shallow whip and another crack I'm small but I can keep track Too soon everyone just step away I'm sure this isn't the last play
Take it all in stride speak but don't confide You barely had a case It's done before we try It's dark and then by night they desert in your face
Keep score even playing fields this game I know when all's said we're insane If I could I would leave it all be No chance to move backwards and see
Take it all in stride Speak don't confide You barely had a case It's done before we try It's dark and then by night they desert in your face
Take it all in stride Speak don't confide You barely had a case It's done before we try It's dark and then by night they desert in your face