"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.
Here's a thought for every man
Who tries to understand what is in his hands (what's in his hands)
He walks along the open road of love and life
Surviving if he can (surviving if he can)
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
Chained to all the places that he never wished to stay
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
Ah ah
Ah ah
Ah ah
Here's a thought for every man
Who tries to understand what is in his hands (what's in his hands)
He walks along the open road of love and life
Surviving if he can (but only if he can)
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
Chained to all the places that he never wished to stay
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow (ah ah)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow (ah ah)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow (ah ah)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
Who tries to understand what is in his hands (what's in his hands)
He walks along the open road of love and life
Surviving if he can (surviving if he can)
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
Chained to all the places that he never wished to stay
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
Ah ah
Ah ah
Ah ah
Here's a thought for every man
Who tries to understand what is in his hands (what's in his hands)
He walks along the open road of love and life
Surviving if he can (but only if he can)
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
Chained to all the places that he never wished to stay
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow (ah ah)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As they took his soul they stole his pride (pride)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow (ah ah)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow (ah ah)
As he faced the sun he cast no shadow
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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,
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.
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.
t think this song could be about fear of failure and never fulfilling life