"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.
Way to go Mr. Microphone
Show us all what you don't know
Centuries secret societies
He's out commander still
Space Dog
So sure we were on something
Your feet are finally on the ground he said
So sure we were on something
Your feet are just on the ground girl
Rain and snow
Our engines have been receiving your eager call
There's Colonel Dirtyfishydishcloth
He'll distract her good
Don't worry so
And to the one you thought was on your side
She can't understand
She truly believes the lies
Lemon pie
He's coming through
Our commander still Space Dog
Lines secure Space Dog
Deck the halls
I'm young again
I'm you again
Racing turtles
The grapefruit is winning
Seems I keep getting this story twisted
So where's Neil when you need him
Deck the halls
It's you again
It's you again
Somewhere someone must know the ending
Is she still pissing in the river now
Heard she's gone
Moved into a trailer park
So sure we were on something
Your feet finally on the ground he said
So sure we were on something
You feet just on the ground girl
So sure we were on something
Your feet finally on the ground he said
So sure we were on something
Your feet are just on the ground
Show us all what you don't know
Centuries secret societies
He's out commander still
Space Dog
So sure we were on something
Your feet are finally on the ground he said
So sure we were on something
Your feet are just on the ground girl
Rain and snow
Our engines have been receiving your eager call
There's Colonel Dirtyfishydishcloth
He'll distract her good
Don't worry so
And to the one you thought was on your side
She can't understand
She truly believes the lies
Lemon pie
He's coming through
Our commander still Space Dog
Lines secure Space Dog
Deck the halls
I'm young again
I'm you again
Racing turtles
The grapefruit is winning
Seems I keep getting this story twisted
So where's Neil when you need him
Deck the halls
It's you again
It's you again
Somewhere someone must know the ending
Is she still pissing in the river now
Heard she's gone
Moved into a trailer park
So sure we were on something
Your feet finally on the ground he said
So sure we were on something
You feet just on the ground girl
So sure we were on something
Your feet finally on the ground he said
So sure we were on something
Your feet are just on the ground
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Tori has said, "Pretty Good Year and Space Dog kind of kiss each other... Concept being, somebody that had all of these beliefs, and then just numbed themselves."(on the fansite, hereinmyhead).
I personally see it reflecting the twisted path of any situation, especially love, where we don't know how things will work or how they will end or where to go next. Its about our own lack of insight. We're racing turtles, a notoriously slow animal and an inanimate piece of fruit is winning. Thus no one is going anywhere. That's why we need the grand storyteller, Neil, to tell us what will happen next.