"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.
Won't you look up at the skyline?
At the mortar, block, and glass
And check out the reflections in my eyes
You see they always used to be there
Even when this was all was grass
And I sang and danced about a high-rise
And you were laughing at my helmet hat
Laughing at my torch
Well, go ahead, you can laugh all you want
I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I trust it like the ground (ground)
And that's why my philosophy (my phil')
It keeps me walking when I'm falling down ('osophy)
I see that there is evil
And I know that there is good
Now the in-betweens, I never understood
Would you look at me? I'm crazy
But I get the job done
Yeah, I'm crazy but I get the job done
And I say, go ahead, you can laugh all you want
But I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I trust it like the ground (ground)
And that's why my philosophy (my phil')
It keeps me walking when I'm falling down ('osophy)
I pushed you 'cause I loved you guys
I didn't realize
You weren't having fun
And I dragged you up the stairs
And I told you to fly
You were flapping your arms
You started to cry, you were too high
No, too high
You may take this all for granted
You take the mortar, block, and glass
And you forget the speech that moved the stone
But it's really not that you can't see
The forest from the trees
You never been out in the woods alone
So you can laugh all you want to
But I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I love you, you're my friend (friend)
But you got no philosophy (my phil')
And now it's time for the song to end ('osophy)
(Count that bitch off, somebody)
(You count it off)
(Scream it) (we're Swervedriver, where's the party?
(One, two, thee four)
At the mortar, block, and glass
And check out the reflections in my eyes
You see they always used to be there
Even when this was all was grass
And I sang and danced about a high-rise
And you were laughing at my helmet hat
Laughing at my torch
Well, go ahead, you can laugh all you want
I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I trust it like the ground (ground)
And that's why my philosophy (my phil')
It keeps me walking when I'm falling down ('osophy)
I see that there is evil
And I know that there is good
Now the in-betweens, I never understood
Would you look at me? I'm crazy
But I get the job done
Yeah, I'm crazy but I get the job done
And I say, go ahead, you can laugh all you want
But I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I trust it like the ground (ground)
And that's why my philosophy (my phil')
It keeps me walking when I'm falling down ('osophy)
I pushed you 'cause I loved you guys
I didn't realize
You weren't having fun
And I dragged you up the stairs
And I told you to fly
You were flapping your arms
You started to cry, you were too high
No, too high
You may take this all for granted
You take the mortar, block, and glass
And you forget the speech that moved the stone
But it's really not that you can't see
The forest from the trees
You never been out in the woods alone
So you can laugh all you want to
But I got my philosophy (it keeps my feet on the ground)
And I love you, you're my friend (friend)
But you got no philosophy (my phil')
And now it's time for the song to end ('osophy)
(Count that bitch off, somebody)
(You count it off)
(Scream it) (we're Swervedriver, where's the party?
(One, two, thee four)
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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"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
Cna't believe no one gets this one., It's about freedom (our nations's philosophy) as inspired by the statue of liberty (eyes, helmut hat, torch, etc.) and how some people don't fully get it / respect it all.
Sadly, this song is inspirational to me. It's really one of those songs that can make you happy, no matter what kind of mood you're in. Great!
Haha.. I love this song too. It's so.... confident. Ben's piano playing is so awesome. (I'm envious! hehe) There is this one part in the song that sounds a lot like a part from Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue... It's during the instrumental part at the very end of the song.
lol. In the cover pamphlet thing in the "Naked Baby Photos" album, Ben writes in there, that it's a song about his penis, if you want it to be.. . I doubt it too though. I think he was just joking.... in the music (Keyboard Signature Licks) book, the guy Todd Lowry explains it's about the construction/architecht person yada yada.. what you would typically think.
The lyrics of this song make me think of the character Howard Roark from Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. It fits almost too perfectly to be coincidence.
this verse:
I pushed you cause I loved you guys I didn't realize That you weren't having fun And I dragged you up the stairs And I told you to fly You were flapping your arms Then you started to cry, you were too high
doesn't go with what i thought the song meant -- someone who does what he wants even though people are laughing at him. can anyone connect it for me?
I think that part is just describing how he's trying to get his friends to take chances and have their own philosophies, but they are too used to conforming with the crowd...hence the line " You just never been out in the woods alone" Does that make sense? just my opinion
ohh okay, now i get it. thanks, rosesi
I heard it was about his penis too, and if you look at it, it really works, but I bet he was just joking because the first verse doesn't seem to work, unless i am looking at it the wrong way...
well all i want to say is that the version of this on 'ben folds live' is glorious where he adds 'misirlou' for like ever at the end. totally worth buying the cd if only for that!