"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.
Butter on a summer day
When she's around
I was on the tracks
When the gate came down
Suddenly I recognized
Those bloodshot rear view mirror eyes as mine
I heard that whistle call my name
I almost drove away
But Megan I had a feeling that you would be on that train
So I just waited there for you
Caught a ride to another town
Where the air was clean
And the sun never goes down
Everyone was standing in a line
Between the landing and the stairs
I heard somebody call my name
I almost climbed the stairs
But Megan I had a feeling that someday you'd meet me there
So I just waited there for you
Butter on a summer day
When I hear that name
It's a dream that never came true
Sat down on the tracks
And waited for a train to take me back to you
Somebody came and took my hand
I finally had to go
But Megan I just want you to know
That I waited as long as I could
Butter on a summer day when she's around
When she's around
I was on the tracks
When the gate came down
Suddenly I recognized
Those bloodshot rear view mirror eyes as mine
I heard that whistle call my name
I almost drove away
But Megan I had a feeling that you would be on that train
So I just waited there for you
Caught a ride to another town
Where the air was clean
And the sun never goes down
Everyone was standing in a line
Between the landing and the stairs
I heard somebody call my name
I almost climbed the stairs
But Megan I had a feeling that someday you'd meet me there
So I just waited there for you
Butter on a summer day
When I hear that name
It's a dream that never came true
Sat down on the tracks
And waited for a train to take me back to you
Somebody came and took my hand
I finally had to go
But Megan I just want you to know
That I waited as long as I could
Butter on a summer day when she's around
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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
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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,
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.
It's not that he went somewhere to see if the girl would show up, he wanted to kill himself by thowing himself in front of a train..twice! He was on the tracks when the gate came down to be taken back to her. This ain't a "sweet" song. It's suicidal.