"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.
It got like all crackly
It was like rah
Oh my god, just like
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
I can tell that you're grown up
I'm recycling your sippy cup
Taking shots from it nowadays
And I don't hear you laugh as much
Never used to act tough
Then you hopped on the school bus
And you came back a grown up
And I don't hear you laugh as much
Every time I hear you laugh
It feels like no time has passed
And I'm still in my old room
Brother, I'm coming back for you
(And I need you- need you- need you- need you-)
Nowadays I got this hard ache in my heart space
Let's hop on our bikes, I'll race you back to our place
Now you developed those putting up your guard traits
We were arguing over who would get the large plate
And laughing over what's revealed on a card's face
Will we ever open up those old boxes one day
Before it gets thrown away and our parents sell the place
Had the No Trespassing sign on my bedroom door
Had the bigger stuffed animal collection
Probably cause I was the first born
How do you ask your brother if he misses his brother
I really should each out, ya, he can visit me whenever
And mom and dad wanted us to grow up together
And I guess we did
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
Still on the line
I can tell that you're grown up
I'm recycling your sippy cup
Taking shots from it nowadays
And I don't hear you laugh as much
Never used to act tough (it got like all crackly)
Hopped on the school bus (it was like rah)
Came back a grown up
And I don't hear you laugh as much (oh my god, just like)
Never talk to you like that again
Who the hell did I think I was
I'll never talk to you like that again
Who the hell did I think I was
And you know I really miss you
And you don't need me
And I'm kind of hard to talk to
But you know that you can trust me
(Still on the li- lineman for the county)
Sushi Go!, Ticket to Ride
And we would laugh until we cried
But now that all the tears have dried
I miss you, Justin, I can't hide
Beat Mario for Wii after like a hundred tries
Last time I said, I'd come back and beat that level
Well I guess that that was a lie
In multiplayer you can press a button
Where your character goes into a bubble
And you can shake the remote to bounce across the stage to the other player
Now it feels like I'm in a bubble
And I lost the remote, no shaking
Saturday mornings it was always turkey bacon
And our parents weren't kosher but they tried a little bit
Back when you went to Talmud Torah for a little bit
Promises, hypocrite
Mama said, co-exist
Besides mom and dad, before Josh and Brad, ya, you were my first best friend
You never knew what it was like to be an only child
Having a brother added strength to my frowns and my smiles
Asked my parents for a sibling when I was a kid
Came home one day and said, we got a special gift
Only one rule, Jamie, always love and cherish him
I said, I pinky promise, daddy, please show me what it is
And the first time I met you, you were laughing
And the second time I met you, you were crying
Never believed that miracles could happen
Until the night you were born and saw the stars were aligning
Heard something in that first laugh (it got like all crackly)
And my whole life changed in a flash (it was like rah)
Whenever I visit I ask mom if you'll be around (oh my god, just like)
It's with a proud mind and a heavy heart that I get to say
Hey, have fun out there today
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
Still on the line
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever
It was like rah
Oh my god, just like
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
I can tell that you're grown up
I'm recycling your sippy cup
Taking shots from it nowadays
And I don't hear you laugh as much
Never used to act tough
Then you hopped on the school bus
And you came back a grown up
And I don't hear you laugh as much
Every time I hear you laugh
It feels like no time has passed
And I'm still in my old room
Brother, I'm coming back for you
(And I need you- need you- need you- need you-)
Nowadays I got this hard ache in my heart space
Let's hop on our bikes, I'll race you back to our place
Now you developed those putting up your guard traits
We were arguing over who would get the large plate
And laughing over what's revealed on a card's face
Will we ever open up those old boxes one day
Before it gets thrown away and our parents sell the place
Had the No Trespassing sign on my bedroom door
Had the bigger stuffed animal collection
Probably cause I was the first born
How do you ask your brother if he misses his brother
I really should each out, ya, he can visit me whenever
And mom and dad wanted us to grow up together
And I guess we did
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
Still on the line
I can tell that you're grown up
I'm recycling your sippy cup
Taking shots from it nowadays
And I don't hear you laugh as much
Never used to act tough (it got like all crackly)
Hopped on the school bus (it was like rah)
Came back a grown up
And I don't hear you laugh as much (oh my god, just like)
Never talk to you like that again
Who the hell did I think I was
I'll never talk to you like that again
Who the hell did I think I was
And you know I really miss you
And you don't need me
And I'm kind of hard to talk to
But you know that you can trust me
(Still on the li- lineman for the county)
Sushi Go!, Ticket to Ride
And we would laugh until we cried
But now that all the tears have dried
I miss you, Justin, I can't hide
Beat Mario for Wii after like a hundred tries
Last time I said, I'd come back and beat that level
Well I guess that that was a lie
In multiplayer you can press a button
Where your character goes into a bubble
And you can shake the remote to bounce across the stage to the other player
Now it feels like I'm in a bubble
And I lost the remote, no shaking
Saturday mornings it was always turkey bacon
And our parents weren't kosher but they tried a little bit
Back when you went to Talmud Torah for a little bit
Promises, hypocrite
Mama said, co-exist
Besides mom and dad, before Josh and Brad, ya, you were my first best friend
You never knew what it was like to be an only child
Having a brother added strength to my frowns and my smiles
Asked my parents for a sibling when I was a kid
Came home one day and said, we got a special gift
Only one rule, Jamie, always love and cherish him
I said, I pinky promise, daddy, please show me what it is
And the first time I met you, you were laughing
And the second time I met you, you were crying
Never believed that miracles could happen
Until the night you were born and saw the stars were aligning
Heard something in that first laugh (it got like all crackly)
And my whole life changed in a flash (it was like rah)
Whenever I visit I ask mom if you'll be around (oh my god, just like)
It's with a proud mind and a heavy heart that I get to say
Hey, have fun out there today
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
Still on the line
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever stand the strain
And I need you more than
If it snows that stretch down south
Won't ever
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Baby Brother's Laughter Lyrics as written by Isabel Prpic Grace Burtnick
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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
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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.