"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.
I could see as I rode in
the ships were gone and the pit fell in
a funeral bell tolled the hour in
a lonely drunkard slumbering
not the twang of the guitar
not even the siren wail of pain
not the shadows of desire
caught in the pouring pouring rain
breeze black windows on date street
where I was raised up on the cheap
(yeah, say!) ask no questions work and sleep
'til the old tango that's on date street
I can hear the sharpen of the pain
some lucky stranger in the rain
hear the sharpen of the rain
lucky stranger ... in the rain
hammers beat in dusty times
on these weedy rusted lines
mocking the sun and optomistic signs
all these weedy gates of iron
the sun won't shine my way again
lucky moon was on the wane
oh I'll never see a star again
in the pouring pouring rain
a salty band played for the train
a sad trombone and some refrain
the future pointed to the weather vane
the old calypso died of shame
I hear the sharpen of the pain
some lucky stranger in the rian
hear the sharpen of the pain
lucky stranger pouring rain
POURING RAIN !!!
the ships were gone and the pit fell in
a funeral bell tolled the hour in
a lonely drunkard slumbering
not the twang of the guitar
not even the siren wail of pain
not the shadows of desire
caught in the pouring pouring rain
breeze black windows on date street
where I was raised up on the cheap
(yeah, say!) ask no questions work and sleep
'til the old tango that's on date street
I can hear the sharpen of the pain
some lucky stranger in the rain
hear the sharpen of the rain
lucky stranger ... in the rain
hammers beat in dusty times
on these weedy rusted lines
mocking the sun and optomistic signs
all these weedy gates of iron
the sun won't shine my way again
lucky moon was on the wane
oh I'll never see a star again
in the pouring pouring rain
a salty band played for the train
a sad trombone and some refrain
the future pointed to the weather vane
the old calypso died of shame
I hear the sharpen of the pain
some lucky stranger in the rian
hear the sharpen of the pain
lucky stranger pouring rain
POURING RAIN !!!
Lyrics submitted by aebassist
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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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.
Sorry Steve M. You are wrong. Clash original. Best damn b-side ever.
An internet first ... someone admitting they were wrong. <br /> <br /> I was wrong. Bob Geldof did write a song with the same title, though.