"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.
If it hurts kiss it better. You wear skirts I write nice letters. Never said nothin but "flowers", though we always talk for hours. And I know it gets much colder when I cry on my own shoulder. But we know the show will go on. Guess I know I guess I'll throw on. Jefferson airplane I'm trapped and I am enclosed. But I won't complain or open all the windows. Jefferson airplane I'm trapped and I am enclosed. But I won't complain or open all the windows. 'Cause when it's colder I feel much better when I cry on my own should. Just thow on a sweater and go. And I'll go to where the weather's nice and warm. And I'll go to where I am reborn. And I'll go 'cause in my dreams I can't complain. And I'll fly on my Jefferson Airplane. You make the calls I cover my ears. Niagra Falls still flows on New Year's. I will save your plugging neckline. Kiss your face, you try to deck mine. If I behave it's gonna cost him. Skip the rave in downtown Boston. We all know the show will go on. Guess I know I guess I'll throw on. Jefferson airplane I'm trapped and I am enclosed. But I won't complain or open all the windows. Jefferson airplane I'm trapped and I am enclosed. But I won't complain or open all the windows. 'Cause when it's colder I feel much better when I cry on my own should. Just thow on a sweater and go. And I'll go to where the weather's nice and warm. And I'll go to where I am reborn. And I'll go 'cause in my dreams I can't complain. And I'll fly on my Jefferson Airplane. Jefferson airplane I'm trapped and I am enclosed. But I won't complain or open all the windows. Jefferson airplane I'm trapped and I am enclosed. But I won't complain or open all the windows. 'Cause when it's colder I feel much better when I cry on my own should. Just thow on a sweater and go.
Lyrics submitted by x_melancholy_x
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Gentle Hour
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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,
Punchline
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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.
Plastic Bag
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“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.
I think the point of this song, to some extent, is that he's not gonna complain about the things that go wrong in his life, he's just going to accept them and deal with them, because bitching about them doesn't get you anywhere.
anywho, their are lots of mistakes in with the lyrics of this song. i don't feel like pointing out all the corrections that need to be made right now though. ok well maybe i'll make some, because otherwise, the way it is now, kinda kills the purpose of the song.
it should be "never said nothing WITH flowers" not "never said nothing but 'flowers'" and it should be "And it seems to get much colder when you cry on your own shoulder. We all know the show must go on, guess I know, I guess I'll throw on..." instead of what you have. and it should be "But I won't complain, I'll open all the windows" not "or open all the windows" because that typo defeats the purpose of the entire song. and... yeah there are other different things, but apparently this is just a "demo" so i'll submit the album version.