"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
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
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.
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!