"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.
Pit shaft wheels turn for the last time
In the Rhondda tonight
The Davey lamps that shone so brightly
There's no more need for their light
As the last piece of coal is cut
From the belly of the black seamed hole
A man walks home alone
Past a church full of mourning souls
Throughout his lifetime he has fought
He has given his life
In tears the congregation sing
Cwm Rhondda, Oh, my Lord
Great is the rape of the fair country
To Botany Bay for my great grandfathers
Deportation sailed
Great, so great is the fair country
Great is the need for a new South Wales
The slag heap stares, it blocks out the sky
It keeps this Rhondda grey
The stale beer spills from angry drinkers
Their arguments do the same
A choir voice cries, it shatters the silence
Where's the future in this place?
The question hangs unanswered
All eyes on a new born babe
In another lifetime men fought hard
Men gave their lives
For the charter that would save their sons
Cwm Rhondda, Oh, my Lord
Great, great change in the fair country
The future lies with the sons and daughters
South will meet with north
Say, say a prayer for the fair country
Great is the need for a new South Wales
Throughout your lifetime men have fought
Men have given their lives
To hear a congregation sing
Cwm Rhondda, Oh, my Lord
Great, great change in the fair country
The future lies with the sons and daughters
South will meet with north
Say, say a prayer for the fair country
Great is the need for a new South Wales
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
(Someone hear my prayer)
(Someone hear my prayer)
(For a new South Wales)
In the Rhondda tonight
The Davey lamps that shone so brightly
There's no more need for their light
As the last piece of coal is cut
From the belly of the black seamed hole
A man walks home alone
Past a church full of mourning souls
Throughout his lifetime he has fought
He has given his life
In tears the congregation sing
Cwm Rhondda, Oh, my Lord
Great is the rape of the fair country
To Botany Bay for my great grandfathers
Deportation sailed
Great, so great is the fair country
Great is the need for a new South Wales
The slag heap stares, it blocks out the sky
It keeps this Rhondda grey
The stale beer spills from angry drinkers
Their arguments do the same
A choir voice cries, it shatters the silence
Where's the future in this place?
The question hangs unanswered
All eyes on a new born babe
In another lifetime men fought hard
Men gave their lives
For the charter that would save their sons
Cwm Rhondda, Oh, my Lord
Great, great change in the fair country
The future lies with the sons and daughters
South will meet with north
Say, say a prayer for the fair country
Great is the need for a new South Wales
Throughout your lifetime men have fought
Men have given their lives
To hear a congregation sing
Cwm Rhondda, Oh, my Lord
Great, great change in the fair country
The future lies with the sons and daughters
South will meet with north
Say, say a prayer for the fair country
Great is the need for a new South Wales
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
Oh, someone hear my prayer
(Someone hear my prayer)
(Someone hear my prayer)
(For a new South Wales)
Lyrics submitted by BekkaZ
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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/