"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.
Revelation or annihilation
The futile and the fanatics
That is all we are
With scalpel incisions and flapping tongues
Bury the limbs of the hopeless
Clambering onto the funeral pyre, overwhelmed
Sacrifice and sedition
Let the ashes of our cancer rise
To be inhaled by the congregation
Carry your doctrine into the flames
Or swallow it whole and exit the wake
As the smoke blackens the horizon
Revel in your decision (delusion)
As the inferno turns to embers
Breathe in the essence of despair
Piss on the ash and the bones of the dead
Laugh and rejoice as the black turns blood red
But your carnivorous smile betrays
Revealing the teeth that will devour us all
A grin to mark the end of days
The futile and the fanatics
That is all we are
With scalpel incisions and flapping tongues
Bury the limbs of the hopeless
Clambering onto the funeral pyre, overwhelmed
Sacrifice and sedition
Let the ashes of our cancer rise
To be inhaled by the congregation
Carry your doctrine into the flames
Or swallow it whole and exit the wake
As the smoke blackens the horizon
Revel in your decision (delusion)
As the inferno turns to embers
Breathe in the essence of despair
Piss on the ash and the bones of the dead
Laugh and rejoice as the black turns blood red
But your carnivorous smile betrays
Revealing the teeth that will devour us all
A grin to mark the end of days
Lyrics submitted by sokorny
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.