"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 guess sometimes I'm lucky
when I go,
For whole days at a time
without thinking about you,
And ask myself why,
But then I find I'm traveling,
Traveling down,
That same old piece of road
and wind up down by the water
Whatever happened to our walls on the pier?
I cry myself alone
all the way down to the end,
I drink my bottle dry
and heave it across the bay,
to the city,
Smashin' outside your door
Oh now there goes the Romeo,
hand in hand
with his punk rock Juliet,
They remind me of two people
I'm trying to forget,
I can hear their sweet nothings
on the wind,
As I hurry to get by,
Diverting my gaze,
To the Oakland Bay Bridge
(Could that be you honey, way over on that side?
Flashin' a signal to me, Down by Pier 39,
'Cause if I only knew, I'd jump in that water
and swim right across, drowning in my relief)
Maybe I should warn them,
Should I say, "Don't do something that you'll regret.
Now you have no recollection
of heartbreak you don't have yet."
I could give them an earful,
But I don't know,
They must find out on their own,
and the thought of that
is chilling me to the bone
when I go,
For whole days at a time
without thinking about you,
And ask myself why,
But then I find I'm traveling,
Traveling down,
That same old piece of road
and wind up down by the water
Whatever happened to our walls on the pier?
I cry myself alone
all the way down to the end,
I drink my bottle dry
and heave it across the bay,
to the city,
Smashin' outside your door
Oh now there goes the Romeo,
hand in hand
with his punk rock Juliet,
They remind me of two people
I'm trying to forget,
I can hear their sweet nothings
on the wind,
As I hurry to get by,
Diverting my gaze,
To the Oakland Bay Bridge
(Could that be you honey, way over on that side?
Flashin' a signal to me, Down by Pier 39,
'Cause if I only knew, I'd jump in that water
and swim right across, drowning in my relief)
Maybe I should warn them,
Should I say, "Don't do something that you'll regret.
Now you have no recollection
of heartbreak you don't have yet."
I could give them an earful,
But I don't know,
They must find out on their own,
and the thought of that
is chilling me to the bone
Lyrics submitted by 66exeter
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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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.
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.
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.
such a good song, godammit
I love this fucking song!
I love this song.. but the lyrics are wrong and most of the ones you google are this version too so this person just probably copy/pasted it.
Whatever happened to our walls on the pier? I cry myself alone
Should read
Whatever happened to our WALKS on the pier? I cry myself ALONG
I don't know whoever put the lyrics up but really? Walls on the pier? That doesn't even make any sense!