"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.
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
Got my brother down cause it's nothing to me
(Yeah, it's nothing to me)
Everyone saying that it's wrong to cheat
But there's no other way to get my life on easy street
(Get your life on easy street)
Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more
And the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they're bringing you war
Rich man cryin' cause his money's time
And poor man's smilin' 'cause he knows he ain't blind
(Knows he ain't blind)
And there's a man over there, he says he's tougher than me
But I got eyes that can see through fantasy
(I can see through fantasy)
I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by
Take it all back 'cause it don't mean nothing
If you give it away then you're looking for something back
(Looking for something back)
You wake up every morning and there's nothing there
No reason to die but no reason to care
Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more
Now the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they're bringing you war
We got one life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
Got my brother down 'cause it's nothing to me
(It's nothing to me)
And there's a rich man cryin' 'cause his money is time
A poor man smilin' 'cause he knows he ain't blind
(He knows he ain't blind)
I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong
Yeah we're doing it wrong you see
I said we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong you see
Yeah, we're doing it wrong you see
I said, we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong
I said we're doing it wrong
Got my brother down cause it's nothing to me
(Yeah, it's nothing to me)
Everyone saying that it's wrong to cheat
But there's no other way to get my life on easy street
(Get your life on easy street)
Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more
And the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they're bringing you war
Rich man cryin' cause his money's time
And poor man's smilin' 'cause he knows he ain't blind
(Knows he ain't blind)
And there's a man over there, he says he's tougher than me
But I got eyes that can see through fantasy
(I can see through fantasy)
I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by
Take it all back 'cause it don't mean nothing
If you give it away then you're looking for something back
(Looking for something back)
You wake up every morning and there's nothing there
No reason to die but no reason to care
Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more
Now the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they're bringing you war
We got one life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
Got my brother down 'cause it's nothing to me
(It's nothing to me)
And there's a rich man cryin' 'cause his money is time
A poor man smilin' 'cause he knows he ain't blind
(He knows he ain't blind)
I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong
Yeah we're doing it wrong you see
I said we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong you see
Yeah, we're doing it wrong you see
I said, we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong
I said we're doing it wrong
Lyrics submitted by Humbert_Humbert
Brother Down Lyrics as written by Sam Lewis Roberts
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
One thing, yes, it's blind, not lying. Just a minor correction (check the CD booklet one)
Okay, my basic view on this song, I found it to be rather refreshing and very calm for me and I agree with the lyrics, because I feel like everything's moving ahead of me, but I'm still behind, watching the mayhem and carnage caused by the uprooting of their home and mobility of their legs.