"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 have never felt such frustration
Or lack of self control
I want you to kill me
And dig me under
I want to live no more
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
For me
I want to taste dirty
a stinging pistol
In my mouth, on my tongue
I want you to scrape me from the walls
And go crazy
like you've made me
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me, for me
You, you are so special
You have the talent
to make me feel like dirt
And you, you use your talent
to dig me under
And cover me with dirt
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
Or lack of self control
I want you to kill me
And dig me under
I want to live no more
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
For me
I want to taste dirty
a stinging pistol
In my mouth, on my tongue
I want you to scrape me from the walls
And go crazy
like you've made me
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me, for me
You, you are so special
You have the talent
to make me feel like dirt
And you, you use your talent
to dig me under
And cover me with dirt
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
One who doesn't care
is one who shouldn't be
I've tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
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.
Personally, it pisses me off when I see that most of the conclusions that people come to (Layne's words) are all drug related. Completely missing the point of not only the song, but the tragedy woven into the words by a suffering and lonely man.
All throughout his turmoil, he retained his mental stability, although at times I am sure even he would admit to being 'out of it', but to only see "drugs" in his words dishonors the human being within. He was misunderstood in life and it seems inevitably that remains the case in death as well.
I agree it's an oversimplification to say it's all about drugs. Why would a person turn to dangerous drugs in the first place if not to numb the pain they are experiencing?<br /> <br /> A lot of the lyrics to this and other AIC songs sound like the writer suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder, IMHO.<br /> <br /> It's a very painful condition where you simultaneously crave an impossible amount of love & acceptance as an adult that you never got as a child and that no one can now give you (except yourself) and are repulsed by the craving. And you feel worthless deep down because you never received the proper validation as a child.<br /> <br /> Any small sign of rejection from someone you care about opens up a pandora's box of pain and you use hate as a shield against the pain. Or you may disconnect from all emotions to protect yourself ("One who doesn't care is one who shouldn't be/I tried to hide myself from what is wrong for me.")<br /> <br /> Eventually you may turn to drugs to numb it all (think of the song Hate to Feel) because even death seems preferable to the exhausting emotional roller coaster that seems endless and inescapable.<br /> <br /> The thing that smacks the most of BPD is the fantasy he's having to kill himself just to show someone else how much they've hurt him. And the idea of death being preferable to the frustration & lack of control over oneself & one's emotions.<br /> <br /> Just my opinion!
@SaintDLee I agree. Alot of their songs could be interpreted as being about drugs. But so could any song about extreme love/hate. People don't reallize the feelings that come with drug abuse. The guilt shame loneliness torment disappointment emptiness selfishness..etc.. not everything he wrote was about drugs. But even the ones he did write about them were really just about the underlying feelings.and the reasons he felt a need to escape to begin with. Lifelong AIC fan here, also sober Heroin addict (I call it HELL-OIN) CLEAN FOR 8 YEARS NOW!! thinking about beautiful souls and minds wasted and taken to soon such as Layne, is one if the things that keeps me going when I think of slipping up. I've lost too many friends to the stuff and the world has lost too many talented artists. God knows we could use some decent music here in 2023! Sorry for the late reply haha but yeah