"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.
Through acrid clouds of summer flies
The garden swells with a thousand more wise
Forever flung to celestial dreams
Clawing at the grave of the dead nazarene
I watch the storm approaching
The darkness calls my name
The trees are growing restless
They feel the season change
Their fruit has putrefied
Forbidden once and bound to die
The thread of life lies severed
On the brink of paradise
Grinning winds of hate unfurled
Dash towers tall that grip the sun
Talons stretch her veil
Reclamation, our time has come
Autumn spreads its golden wings
And lays the path for those unseen
A tangled web of evil spun at last
Winter spawn from barren thighs
To readdress, to slay the blind
And throw the reins untethered to the skies
They pray to the full moon rising
Diana moving with such infinite grace
Wrapped alone in a blanket of nightfall
How many secrets can they read by your face?
Will they know of majesty
Of beauty held in dream-dead sleep
And scarlet seas that bleed the frozen shores?
Will their "god" of bridled love
Assuage our rule from planes above
Or shrink in fear from Chaos roused for war?
War!
Wrest askew the nails
That have held you, lurking deep
September prayers are waning
Burn the shrines of fettered sheep
Spearhead the insurrection
Of a world that seeks no end
"We are what we are, what we shall be, again..."
Appear; draped in terror
To the comfort of your kin
Stain the milky sunset red
And let the other in...
Summer's dying...
The garden swells with a thousand more wise
Forever flung to celestial dreams
Clawing at the grave of the dead nazarene
I watch the storm approaching
The darkness calls my name
The trees are growing restless
They feel the season change
Their fruit has putrefied
Forbidden once and bound to die
The thread of life lies severed
On the brink of paradise
Grinning winds of hate unfurled
Dash towers tall that grip the sun
Talons stretch her veil
Reclamation, our time has come
Autumn spreads its golden wings
And lays the path for those unseen
A tangled web of evil spun at last
Winter spawn from barren thighs
To readdress, to slay the blind
And throw the reins untethered to the skies
They pray to the full moon rising
Diana moving with such infinite grace
Wrapped alone in a blanket of nightfall
How many secrets can they read by your face?
Will they know of majesty
Of beauty held in dream-dead sleep
And scarlet seas that bleed the frozen shores?
Will their "god" of bridled love
Assuage our rule from planes above
Or shrink in fear from Chaos roused for war?
War!
Wrest askew the nails
That have held you, lurking deep
September prayers are waning
Burn the shrines of fettered sheep
Spearhead the insurrection
Of a world that seeks no end
"We are what we are, what we shall be, again..."
Appear; draped in terror
To the comfort of your kin
Stain the milky sunset red
And let the other in...
Summer's dying...
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
The lyrics on the “Bitter Suites to Succubi” version are slightly different. Here is that version, which also fixes any formatting issues/omissions contained in the above transcription:
Through acrid clouds of summer flies The garden swells with a thousand more wise Forever flung to celestial dreams Clawing at the grave of the dead nazarene
I watch the storm approaching The darkness calls my name The trees are growing restless They feel the season change Their fruit has putrefied Forbidden once and bound to die The thread of life lies severed On the brink of paradise
Grinning winds of hate unfurled Dash towers tall that grip the sun Talons stretch beneath her veil Reclamation Our time has come Time has come
Autumn spreads its golden wings And lays the path for those unseen A tangled web of evil spun at last Winter spawned from barren thighs To readdress To slay the blind And throw the reins untethered to the skies
They pray to the full moon rising Diana moving with such infinite grace Wrapped alone in a blanket of nightfall How many secrets can they read by your face?
Will they know of majesty Of secrets held in dream-dead sleep And frozen stars that gild the frozen shores? Will their "God" of bridled love Assuage our rule from planes above Or shrink in fear from Chaos roused for war?
War!
Wrest askew the nails That have held you lurking deep September prayers are waning Burn the shrines of fettered sheep Spearhead the insurrection Of a world that seeks no end "We are what we are, what we shall be again…”
Appear draped in terror To the comfort of your kin Stain the milky sunset red And let the others in
Summer's dying fast