"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.
Mary Jane says it's all right
She's just around the corner from the main light.
Any day now, it's all right
She's standing on the precipice of big time.
And I know I'm a little uptight,
I've got to go before the sun shines.
We're just a couple small people squeezing out a life,
We need a little good time.
It's not far from the edge,
Mary comes and goes.
Drifting through the scenery of the shallow days below,
That is anybody knows.
You follow trains out of town and they vanish
Somewhere under the horizon.
Yeah well I saw Mary Jane
Dragged her shadow down the tracks,
Stare off in the distance.
It's not far from here,
Mary waves hello.
Smiling though she's sinking in the shallow days below,
I can't find a way out of here.
Out on the road again,
I'm much, much too concerned about Mary Jane.
I'm all alone again,
I like what she said, not what it means.
She leaves me drowning through the shallow days, down below.
You know I heard a band playing waltzes in a grange hall
The sun is sinking lower.
People staring, Mary Jane humming softly to herself,
Nobody really knows her.
Any day now it's all right,
She tells herself that this will be the last time.
Mary Jane pulls her hair back and
Wonders what she'll do with all her free time.
Not too far from here,
Mary turns to go.
Smiling while the waltz begins, dancing down the road
Hey hey Mr. Freedom,
What are we supposed to think?
'Cause I'm a very tiny person and it worries me.
I'm all alone again,
I like what she says, not what it means.
She leaves me drowning in the shallow days way down below.
"I'm sorry", she said,
"I know it's not the kind of thing you want."
I'm falling, falling down.
"I'm sorry", she said.
"I know I'm not the kind of girl you want."
We're falling, falling, falling, falling down.
She's just around the corner from the main light.
Any day now, it's all right
She's standing on the precipice of big time.
And I know I'm a little uptight,
I've got to go before the sun shines.
We're just a couple small people squeezing out a life,
We need a little good time.
It's not far from the edge,
Mary comes and goes.
Drifting through the scenery of the shallow days below,
That is anybody knows.
You follow trains out of town and they vanish
Somewhere under the horizon.
Yeah well I saw Mary Jane
Dragged her shadow down the tracks,
Stare off in the distance.
It's not far from here,
Mary waves hello.
Smiling though she's sinking in the shallow days below,
I can't find a way out of here.
Out on the road again,
I'm much, much too concerned about Mary Jane.
I'm all alone again,
I like what she said, not what it means.
She leaves me drowning through the shallow days, down below.
You know I heard a band playing waltzes in a grange hall
The sun is sinking lower.
People staring, Mary Jane humming softly to herself,
Nobody really knows her.
Any day now it's all right,
She tells herself that this will be the last time.
Mary Jane pulls her hair back and
Wonders what she'll do with all her free time.
Not too far from here,
Mary turns to go.
Smiling while the waltz begins, dancing down the road
Hey hey Mr. Freedom,
What are we supposed to think?
'Cause I'm a very tiny person and it worries me.
I'm all alone again,
I like what she says, not what it means.
She leaves me drowning in the shallow days way down below.
"I'm sorry", she said,
"I know it's not the kind of thing you want."
I'm falling, falling down.
"I'm sorry", she said.
"I know I'm not the kind of girl you want."
We're falling, falling, falling, falling down.
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I'm inclined to agree "Mary Jane
Another word/phrase for marijuana, It is no particular type of marijuana, just a slang word for it in general. Also can be shortened as just Mary, not Mary Jane"
"I'm much, much too concerned about Mary Jane" - you know you're addicted when it's all you can think about.
"Mary Jane says it's all right" - the mellow.