"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.
When we wore a heart of stone we wandered to the sea
Hoping to find some comfort there yearning to feel free
And we were mesmerized by the lull of the night and the smells that filled the air
And we laid us down on sandy ground it was cold but we didn't care
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
We fell asleep and began to dream when something broke the night
Memories stirred inside of us, the struggle and the fight
And we could feel the heat of a thousand voices telling us which way to go
And we cried out is there no escape from the words that plague me so
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
In the still and the silent dawn another day is born
Washed up by the tireless waves the body bent and torn
When you wake in the face of the blinding sun, and you search only to find
That heaven is a stranger place than what you've left behind
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
Hoping to find some comfort there yearning to feel free
And we were mesmerized by the lull of the night and the smells that filled the air
And we laid us down on sandy ground it was cold but we didn't care
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
We fell asleep and began to dream when something broke the night
Memories stirred inside of us, the struggle and the fight
And we could feel the heat of a thousand voices telling us which way to go
And we cried out is there no escape from the words that plague me so
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
In the still and the silent dawn another day is born
Washed up by the tireless waves the body bent and torn
When you wake in the face of the blinding sun, and you search only to find
That heaven is a stranger place than what you've left behind
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn to the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
And we were drawn to the rhythm
Drawn into the rhythm of the sea
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Little Feat
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
When We Were Young
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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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Love it, just like every Sarah song of course