"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.
Yeah, dolls of voodoo all stuck with pins
One for each of us and our sins
So you lay us in a line
Push your pins they make us humble
Only you can tell in time
If we'll fall or merely stumble
But tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or fix this hole in a mother's son?
Can you heal the broken worlds within?
Can you strip away so we may start again?
Tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or cut this rope and let us run?
Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free
You jab another pin, jab another pin in me
Mirror, mirror upon the wall
Break this spell or become the doll
See you sharpening the pins
So the holes will remind us
We're just the toys in the hands of another
And in time the needles turn from shine to rust
But tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or fix this hole in a mother's son?
Can you heal the broken worlds within?
Can you strip away so we may start again?
Tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or cut this rope and let us run?
Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free
You jab another pin, jab another pin in me
Yeah, jab it
Here come the pins
Blood for face, sweat for dirt
Three X's for the stone
To break this curse a ritual due
I believe I'm not alone
Shell of shotgun, pint of gin
Numb us up to shield the pins
Renew our faith which way we can
To fall in love with life again
To fall in love with life again
To fall in love with life again
To fall in love, to fall in love
To fall in love with life again
So tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or fix this hole in mother's son?
Can you heal the broken worlds within?
Can you strip away so we may start again?
Yeah, tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or cut this rope and let us run?
Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free
Jab another pin, jab another pin in me, yeah
No more pins in me, yeah
No more, no more pins in me
No more, no more pins in me
No more, no more, no more no, no, no
One for each of us and our sins
So you lay us in a line
Push your pins they make us humble
Only you can tell in time
If we'll fall or merely stumble
But tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or fix this hole in a mother's son?
Can you heal the broken worlds within?
Can you strip away so we may start again?
Tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or cut this rope and let us run?
Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free
You jab another pin, jab another pin in me
Mirror, mirror upon the wall
Break this spell or become the doll
See you sharpening the pins
So the holes will remind us
We're just the toys in the hands of another
And in time the needles turn from shine to rust
But tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or fix this hole in a mother's son?
Can you heal the broken worlds within?
Can you strip away so we may start again?
Tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or cut this rope and let us run?
Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free
You jab another pin, jab another pin in me
Yeah, jab it
Here come the pins
Blood for face, sweat for dirt
Three X's for the stone
To break this curse a ritual due
I believe I'm not alone
Shell of shotgun, pint of gin
Numb us up to shield the pins
Renew our faith which way we can
To fall in love with life again
To fall in love with life again
To fall in love with life again
To fall in love, to fall in love
To fall in love with life again
So tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or fix this hole in mother's son?
Can you heal the broken worlds within?
Can you strip away so we may start again?
Yeah, tell me, can you heal what father's done
Or cut this rope and let us run?
Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free
Jab another pin, jab another pin in me, yeah
No more pins in me, yeah
No more, no more pins in me
No more, no more pins in me
No more, no more, no more no, no, no
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
I think MetFan923 has the right idea...good hint. Load/ReLoad were written right as James' dad was dying of cancer and James' came to grips with his relationship with his mother...its interesting to see that such pure and strong emotional source material can produce two albums that people think are really, really bad. Anyway...
I have a theory that the Load/ReLoad period was one of the lowest points in James/Metallica's history. As above, his parents' deaths and lives were grating on him, so he started to take more and more control...treating the rest of the band and his family badly, and falling into his addictions...and I think he just started self-loathing.
So that would mean that James, in this song, is at the end of his rope. He's talking to God and saying you keep hurting me for sinning now, but can you heal me from the pain I've had before? Then at the same time, he's piling on himself talking about the "bad" things he does to be able to deal with it. Note that James enjoys hunting and was a serious alcoholic - shell of shotgun, pint of gin...They help him forget that he's effing up his life.
I'm not sure which way the last bit goes...it could just be a routine ending to the song...rebelling against the oppressor (the pins). It could be James rejecting faith as someone has said...or it could be the opposite. No more pins in me could suggest no more sins..who knows?
@forthelove You might be right. There are some damned bitter and angry songs on these albums.