"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.
Oh, now little girl, don't cry yourself to sleep
There's a brand new world around you
You can make it if you try
She said the trying's not enough
Sometimes it gets to me
I see people where they're not supposed to be
She thinks about dying
She is verging on the sacred
She is spinning with the sound
She has long ago abandoned
Any other way around
She is verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
She is gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
Oh, now little boy, don't cry yourself to sleep
There's a brand new world around you
And you can make it if you try
He said the trying's not enough
Sometimes it gets to me
But you werent supposed to see this side of me
He thinks about flying
He is verging on the sacred
He is spinning with the sound
He has long ago abandoned
Any other way around
He is verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
He is gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
Oh, now, I'm not going to cry myself to sleep
Take a look around you
We've got a brand new world around
Just open up your eyes and see
The wonder that is me
And she says what is that supposed to mean?
I wish I knew
We are verging on the sacred
We are spinning with the sound
We have long ago abandoned
Any other way around
We are verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
We are gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
We are verging on the sacred
We are spinning with the sound
We have long ago abandoned
Any other way around
We are verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
We are gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
We are gone but not forgotten
We are gone but not forgotten
There's a brand new world around you
You can make it if you try
She said the trying's not enough
Sometimes it gets to me
I see people where they're not supposed to be
She thinks about dying
She is verging on the sacred
She is spinning with the sound
She has long ago abandoned
Any other way around
She is verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
She is gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
Oh, now little boy, don't cry yourself to sleep
There's a brand new world around you
And you can make it if you try
He said the trying's not enough
Sometimes it gets to me
But you werent supposed to see this side of me
He thinks about flying
He is verging on the sacred
He is spinning with the sound
He has long ago abandoned
Any other way around
He is verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
He is gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
Oh, now, I'm not going to cry myself to sleep
Take a look around you
We've got a brand new world around
Just open up your eyes and see
The wonder that is me
And she says what is that supposed to mean?
I wish I knew
We are verging on the sacred
We are spinning with the sound
We have long ago abandoned
Any other way around
We are verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
We are gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
We are verging on the sacred
We are spinning with the sound
We have long ago abandoned
Any other way around
We are verging on the sacred, spinning with the sound
We are gone but not forgotten,
Here but not around
We are gone but not forgotten
We are gone but not forgotten
Lyrics submitted by tophergannon
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Little Feat
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Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
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Just A Little Lovin'
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"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
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Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Becuase of the fast beat of this song, I always thought it was an underlying ecstacy reference?