"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'm tired of injustice, I'm tired of the schemes
The lies are disgusting, so what does it mean, damn it?
You're kicking me down, I got to get up
As jacked as it sounds, the whole system sucks, damn it
Peek in the shadow, come into the light
You tell me I'm wrong, then you better prove you're right
You're selling out souls but I care about mine
I've got to get stronger, and I won't give up the fight
With such confusion, don't it make you wanna scream? (Make you wanna scream?)
Your bash abusing victimize within the scheme
You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
Somebody please have mercy, 'cause I just can't take it
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make you just wanna scream
I'm tired of you telling the story your way
You're causing confusion, you think it's okay, damn it
You keep changing up rules, while I keep playing the game
I can't take it much longer, I think I might go insane
With such confusion, don't it make you wanna scream? (Make you wanna scream?)
Your bash abusing victimize within the scheme
You find your pleasure scandalizing every lie
So Father, please have mercy, 'cause I just can't take it
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop fuckin' with me, make me wanna scream
Oh my God, can't believe what I saw as I turned the TV
This evening, I was disgusted by all the injustice
All the injustice (all the injustice)
With such delusions, don't it make you wanna scream? (Make you wanna scream?)
Your bash abusing victimize within the scheme
You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
Oh brother, please have mercy, 'cause I just can't take it
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream (stop your pressure)
The lies are disgusting, so what does it mean, damn it?
You're kicking me down, I got to get up
As jacked as it sounds, the whole system sucks, damn it
Peek in the shadow, come into the light
You tell me I'm wrong, then you better prove you're right
You're selling out souls but I care about mine
I've got to get stronger, and I won't give up the fight
With such confusion, don't it make you wanna scream? (Make you wanna scream?)
Your bash abusing victimize within the scheme
You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
Somebody please have mercy, 'cause I just can't take it
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make you just wanna scream
I'm tired of you telling the story your way
You're causing confusion, you think it's okay, damn it
You keep changing up rules, while I keep playing the game
I can't take it much longer, I think I might go insane
With such confusion, don't it make you wanna scream? (Make you wanna scream?)
Your bash abusing victimize within the scheme
You find your pleasure scandalizing every lie
So Father, please have mercy, 'cause I just can't take it
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop fuckin' with me, make me wanna scream
Oh my God, can't believe what I saw as I turned the TV
This evening, I was disgusted by all the injustice
All the injustice (all the injustice)
With such delusions, don't it make you wanna scream? (Make you wanna scream?)
Your bash abusing victimize within the scheme
You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
Oh brother, please have mercy, 'cause I just can't take it
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream
Stop pressuring me, just stop pressuring me
Stop pressuring me, make me wanna scream (stop your pressure)
Lyrics submitted by AgathaKavka
Scream Lyrics as written by Janet Jackson James Harris Iii
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
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.
MJ said this song was about the 93 accusations. Sad.