"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.
Write a letter, write another letter
Write a letter, write another letter
Write a letter
I'm sealing up this letter
I just finished signing your name
My friends would all be surprised
If they knew I was playing this game
I'll pretend it's a special delivery
And just to give me a hint
I'll use your favorite color
Smear it with your favorite scent
Huh, I know you think that I'm crazy
But I can't loose, what have I left
So I've decided to write this letter
And send it to myself
So to make my story short
In the mail box I will place
This letter that I wrote
And it's stamped with your lovely face
When I'm alone
And I need someone to talk to
I talk to your picture
Get me a pencil and paper (Pencil and paper)
And write all the things
Say all the things
I've heard you say before
But with a little extra
(Extra, extra, read all about it)
Sugar and spice
I guess it makes me feel kind of nice
I write a letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write a letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
What is a home when you're all alone
It seems so full
It seems so full, but so empty
(Ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...)
So I put my coat
Leave you a note
And go to the places, places, places where we used to be
I pretend you are there
Order dinner for two
Your every presence is all in the air
I write a letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter), mmm, hmm
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter), oh, yeah
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter(
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter), mmm, hmm
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write a letter, write another letter
Write a letter
I'm sealing up this letter
I just finished signing your name
My friends would all be surprised
If they knew I was playing this game
I'll pretend it's a special delivery
And just to give me a hint
I'll use your favorite color
Smear it with your favorite scent
Huh, I know you think that I'm crazy
But I can't loose, what have I left
So I've decided to write this letter
And send it to myself
So to make my story short
In the mail box I will place
This letter that I wrote
And it's stamped with your lovely face
When I'm alone
And I need someone to talk to
I talk to your picture
Get me a pencil and paper (Pencil and paper)
And write all the things
Say all the things
I've heard you say before
But with a little extra
(Extra, extra, read all about it)
Sugar and spice
I guess it makes me feel kind of nice
I write a letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write a letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
What is a home when you're all alone
It seems so full
It seems so full, but so empty
(Ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...ah...)
So I put my coat
Leave you a note
And go to the places, places, places where we used to be
I pretend you are there
Order dinner for two
Your every presence is all in the air
I write a letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter), mmm, hmm
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter), oh, yeah
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter(
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Oh...I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter), mmm, hmm
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write a letter)
I write another letter (Write a letter) to myself (Write another letter)
(Write a letter, write another letter)
Lyrics submitted by Pharmaecopia
A Letter to Myself Lyrics as written by Sandra Drayton Eugene Record
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
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.
this is such a sad song, always brings me a tear to my eye. how much he misses her that he can go to pretend that shes still writing him.
Although the untrained ear will dismiss both this and "Have You Seen Her?" as run-of-the-mill soul work, no group ever provided a window to the depths of heartbreak the way the Chi-Lites did.
The Chi-lites were great. R.I.P. Eugene Record. Their songs were made that much more effective with the haunting sound of the harmonica intros.