"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.
All of seventeen
Eyes a purple green
Treated like a Queen, she was
On borrowed self esteem
She would do a dance
A painful masquerade
Spinning you into her web
Along her vain parade
In her uniform
Studded brass and steel
Kissing napkin, lipstick stains
And smearing sincerity
Along her vain parade
Along her veins
Time crept up on her
She's early gray
Her reflection looks concerned
As flowers hit her grave
Eyes a purple green
Treated like a Queen, she was
On borrowed self esteem
She would do a dance
A painful masquerade
Spinning you into her web
Along her vain parade
In her uniform
Studded brass and steel
Kissing napkin, lipstick stains
And smearing sincerity
Along her vain parade
Along her veins
Time crept up on her
She's early gray
Her reflection looks concerned
As flowers hit her grave
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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.
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,
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
its about a beautiful but shallow girl who needs to be a slut to validate her existence.
"treated like a queen she was on borrowed self-esteem": everybodys spoiled her all her life because shes beautiful, she gets all her confidence and self-esteem from too many people drooling over her
"she would do her dance a painful masquerade, spin you into her web along her vain parade" she flirts with guys and spins them into her web to fuck them. its a painful masquerade because shes going through all the motions for the sake of it, and all she wants is sex. her vain parade is just the line of guys she goes through to make herself feel beautiful and special.
"time crept up on her shes early gray" shes now past her prime, aging and deteriorating possibly due to an std or drug abuse from a partying lifestyle. the lyrics are almost mocking her, since she took it for granted that she was hot and would always have men obsessing over her.
"her reflection looks concerned and flowers hit her grave" it jumps forward, first to her looking in the mirror and realizing how fucked up she is now, and then to when shes dead. rather than flowers being placed on her grave, theyre hitting it, as if someones throwing them down angrily. nobody ever really loved her because all she had was physical attractiveness, and now that thats gone nobody cares anymore. this also ties up the flower theme of the song. the "flower" is also a metaphor for the girl herself for being beautiful but fragile and short-lived. as a side note flowers look like vaginas, so maybe thats where the title came from
I heard this song on "A-Sides" and fell in love with it. When I purchased "Screaming Life/Fopp," I noticed something interesting. In the song "Hand of God" is an introduction speaking by some preacher, and his sermon ends with "it is a vain parade....it has no meaning." Probably was the inspiration for that line in "Flower."
excellent song, i love it. very heavy yet peaceful.
"It's about a girl who becomes a woman and basically invests everything in vanity and then burns out quick." - Chris Cornell on Flower From their Facebook page today.
Also I think her eyes were "opal green" as opposed to "purple green"
What a great early Soundgarden tune this was - Just looking at the lyrics, they seem pretty straight forward; and the "flower" the song speaks about seems to have a double meaning - About how this girl grew and blossomed into a young lady, and eventually wilted and died, but also referring to the flowers on her grave, obviously. I'm convinced Chris paid attention in English class - He also uses the homonyms "vein" and "vain" - Sort of interesting, for early Soundgarden.
yes i completely agree with sommy except.. chris didn't make it very far in school, so its amazing isn't it, i think he got to grade 8 i'd have to check up on it but it doesn't really matter he is very good.
Yes it is amazing how poetic his lyrics were and still are even though he dropped out. So much about soundgarden just amazes me
It's about how fucked up girls are and how good it is the die lol.
"In her uniform Studded brass and steel Kissing napkin lipstick stains And smearing sincerity"
that is what leads me to believe this.
Cornell was saying how this girl, the 'Flower', brought her own fall from grace upon herself and how unfortunate her decline was. He didn't say it was "good".
Chris liked to write lyrics that seemed straight forward but always had a double meaning. Does anyone know what it could be in this case?
This song is about an underage stripper. She is also a drug addict due to the predicament she is in. Kind of a sad song if you think about.