"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.
Well, I caught my wife with another man
And it cost me ninety-nine
On a prison farm in Georgia
Close to the Florida line
Well, I've been here for two long years
I finally made the warden my friend
And so he sentenced me to a life of ease
Takin' care of Ol' Red
Now, Ol' Red, he's the damnedest dog
That I've ever seen
Got a nose that can smell a two day trail
He's a four legged trackin' machine
You can consider yourself mighty lucky
To get past the gators and the quicksand beds
But all these years that I've been here
Ain't nobody got past Red
And the warden sang
Come on somebody, why don't you run?
Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have you treed 'fore the mornin' comes
Well, I paid off the guard and I slipped out a letter
To my cousin up in Tennessee
Oh, and he brought down a blue tick hound
She was pretty as she could be
Well, they penned her up in the swampland
'Bout a mile just south of the gate
And I'd take Ol' Red for his evening run
I'd just drop him off and wait
And the warden sang
Come on somebody, why don't you run?
Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have you treed 'fore the mornin' comes
Now, Ol' Red got real used to seein'
His lady every night
And so I kept him away for three or four days
And waited 'til the time got right
Well, I made my run with the evening sun
And I smiled when I heard 'em turn Red out
'Cause I was headed north to Tennessee
And Ol' Red was headed south
And the warden sang
Come on somebody, why don't you run?
Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have you treed 'fore the mornin' comes
Now there's red haired blue ticks all in the South
Love got me in here and love got me out
And it cost me ninety-nine
On a prison farm in Georgia
Close to the Florida line
Well, I've been here for two long years
I finally made the warden my friend
And so he sentenced me to a life of ease
Takin' care of Ol' Red
Now, Ol' Red, he's the damnedest dog
That I've ever seen
Got a nose that can smell a two day trail
He's a four legged trackin' machine
You can consider yourself mighty lucky
To get past the gators and the quicksand beds
But all these years that I've been here
Ain't nobody got past Red
And the warden sang
Come on somebody, why don't you run?
Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have you treed 'fore the mornin' comes
Well, I paid off the guard and I slipped out a letter
To my cousin up in Tennessee
Oh, and he brought down a blue tick hound
She was pretty as she could be
Well, they penned her up in the swampland
'Bout a mile just south of the gate
And I'd take Ol' Red for his evening run
I'd just drop him off and wait
And the warden sang
Come on somebody, why don't you run?
Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have you treed 'fore the mornin' comes
Now, Ol' Red got real used to seein'
His lady every night
And so I kept him away for three or four days
And waited 'til the time got right
Well, I made my run with the evening sun
And I smiled when I heard 'em turn Red out
'Cause I was headed north to Tennessee
And Ol' Red was headed south
And the warden sang
Come on somebody, why don't you run?
Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun
Get my lantern, get my gun
Red'll have you treed 'fore the mornin' comes
Now there's red haired blue ticks all in the South
Love got me in here and love got me out
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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/
Awesome song - nice beat too
i love this song...i liked it even before i was into country music. its got an awesome beat and blake is hot
also a brilliant way to get out of an old southern prison like the one in cool hand luke
is he really talking about a dog? or is there a metaphor that im not getting? "Now Ol' Red got real used to seeing His lady every night" ...?
yes he is ol red is a boy and he fell in love with the other dog<br />
He caught his wife cheating on him, so he killed the guy she was having an affair with. He got thrown in jail for 99 years. He got a grand plan to escape, but first he needed to become the guardian of the prisons' tracking dog, a Bloodhound named Ol' Red. He finally did 2 years later. Then he asked his cousin to bring down a female Blue Tick Hound. They penned her up, and when the guy took Red for a run every night, he brought him to the Tick hound. The two dogs fell in love, and so Red "got used to seeing his lady every night." So he kept Red away from the Tick Hound for a few days, then made his run. When the prison guards sent Ol' Red out to find the runaway, he went to see his girl instead because he hadn't seen her in a few days. Thus the guy got away, when no one else had ever gotten past Red. In the end where is says 'Now there's red-haired blue ticks all in the south, love got me in here, and love got me out' he means that Red and the Tick hound had puppies, and since his love for his wife got him thrown in jail, and the dogs' love got him out- so yeah. <br /> There you have it.
I always think of Shawkshank Redemption during this song.
I never really liked country until someone very special entered my life. when i started listening to it this became one of my favorite songs. now that he's gone, all i've got left is the music
"Well I caught my wife with another man And it cost me ninety nine" he's saying he got the man that was with his wife and now for that he's in prison for 99 years. (murdered him). "a blue tick hound, She was pretty as she could be, Well they penned her up in the swampland, 'Bout a mile just south of the gate, And I'd take Ol' Red for his evening run, I'd just drop him off and wait" he took the dog to see the other dog and just let Red do his thing. Now Ol' Red got real used to seeing His lady every night, And so I kept him away for three or four days,And waited till the time got right" Rdd was used to seeing the other dog so he kept him away for a few days so that when he was out for his run, he would go to the female instead of follow blake. "Love got me in here and love got me out" Love got him in there because he killed the man that was with is wife... love got him out because Red fell in love with the blue tick.