"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.
sun shines on my face
how it's golden design
rain falls in this place
and the fields come alive
days are only rumours we've wasted
we cross the millions
we'll see where we stand
far removed from the womb
will you carry me across the sea?
will you carry me?
we can drink from fountains
and the taste of truth
far removed from the womb
rhythm and mind
don't waste no time
want to let it all out
when the chains fall off
and the walls fall down
when we break the seal
and our hearts pour out
when the frozen ground
comes alive around us
with a scream
how it's golden design
rain falls in this place
and the fields come alive
days are only rumours we've wasted
we cross the millions
we'll see where we stand
far removed from the womb
will you carry me across the sea?
will you carry me?
we can drink from fountains
and the taste of truth
far removed from the womb
rhythm and mind
don't waste no time
want to let it all out
when the chains fall off
and the walls fall down
when we break the seal
and our hearts pour out
when the frozen ground
comes alive around us
with a scream
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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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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.
this song is amazing. innovative before it's time. i love the build up of the song, and the intro chanting just makes it more surreal. yup. props to sdre on this one.
I completely aggree with you "cheesepickle". SDRE is an amazing band and this song is just a prime example of their best work. Props.
This song is amazing. I couldn't even begin to describe.
I can't say I know too much about the meaning of this song. I believe it was intended to be rather subjective anyway. The thing that I did notice was that it showed some interesting parallels to the philosophy represented in the book "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran. Some of the snapshots Jeremy uses remind me of the story as well. I cannot say if this was intentional, or if the song is even remotely related, but taking notice to the folklore involved in some of their songs (Grendel being an example) I figured there was always a possibility.
I love it when it goes into the driving part with the drums and guitar. Awesome, it lifts me. For me its the whole purpose of the song, just to get to that, wish it was used more through the song.
I am pretty sure it is about Jesus hence the song title.
will you carry me across the sea? will you carry me? we can drink from fountains and the taste of truth
definately about Jesus there
allegedly jeremy and dan wrote this (possibly just the intro part with jeremy’s background wailing) face to face in one go. according to dan, he was “straight up channeling nusrat fateh ali khan.” pretty incredible stuff