"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.
You there
Buddy can you spare a dime?
You in the suit
In the French suit
From Woolworth's
Grab yourself right over here and show me a good time
Oh you can see the light
for ten centavos
You can transcend your harsh metaphysical reality
while you climb
for a dime, for dime, for a dime
Hey you, "mother theresa"
Don't you give me that
holierthanroller face
Sad faces don't get you anything
but a Nobel prize
Give me a dime
and beat it
Oh you can be so kind
for a lousy dime
Patent leather faces rushing
that are frozen in dreams
that are closed into a scene
You can be Albert Schweitzer or Florence Nightingale
Philanthropist for a day
for an eternal second
You'd like that wouldn't you?
You can put yourself on a pedestal while you climb so high
Buddy, can you spare you spare a dime?
Can you a pair of dimes?
Can you spare a paradigm?
Give me your gold, you're tired -- I'M HUNGRY!
Holy faces
Sturdy railings
Truth is our foundation
is crumbling into
Dust the banners
Wave all the china at the well-bred races
Shine like aluminum in children's faces
Bank your indulgences and keep up paces
Paint a hero
Oil a scene
There is nothing better than past
to define a futuristic reason for your completing
wardrobes, theses, passion
Searching for pullers of knives in rocks
Power
Shallow water
New meanings
Old refrains
And lives sway
like the wheat in the fields when it rains
Despues de una discusion aestetica de los colores de las cortinas royales,
todos los progresistas del pais pronunciaron su condena energica.
Todos los sectores de derechos tambien hicieron declaraciones
en defensa de sus convicciones
Far from the garish procession
A ray
Melting the postures
Loosening the gaintrap, controlling the essence
releasing the monstrance, refinding the present to
find a certain hot inside this frozen tundra-like existential flotsam
Molding icons
to a fashion
Blasting tunnel vision
Set your places then
Fork it over
Give it with zest as your digest your model
Review a saint and give a child its bottle
Pass the fat and smile with deep compassion
Epitomize your
social scene
There is nothing
harder than hope
to dissolve morbid cursor
writing over our
query, laughter, urge to balance
Searching for pullers of knives in rocks
Power
Shallow water
New meanings
Old refrains
And gods sway
like the wheat in the fields when it rains
Buddy can you spare a dime?
You in the suit
In the French suit
From Woolworth's
Grab yourself right over here and show me a good time
Oh you can see the light
for ten centavos
You can transcend your harsh metaphysical reality
while you climb
for a dime, for dime, for a dime
Hey you, "mother theresa"
Don't you give me that
holierthanroller face
Sad faces don't get you anything
but a Nobel prize
Give me a dime
and beat it
Oh you can be so kind
for a lousy dime
Patent leather faces rushing
that are frozen in dreams
that are closed into a scene
You can be Albert Schweitzer or Florence Nightingale
Philanthropist for a day
for an eternal second
You'd like that wouldn't you?
You can put yourself on a pedestal while you climb so high
Buddy, can you spare you spare a dime?
Can you a pair of dimes?
Can you spare a paradigm?
Give me your gold, you're tired -- I'M HUNGRY!
Holy faces
Sturdy railings
Truth is our foundation
is crumbling into
Dust the banners
Wave all the china at the well-bred races
Shine like aluminum in children's faces
Bank your indulgences and keep up paces
Paint a hero
Oil a scene
There is nothing better than past
to define a futuristic reason for your completing
wardrobes, theses, passion
Searching for pullers of knives in rocks
Power
Shallow water
New meanings
Old refrains
And lives sway
like the wheat in the fields when it rains
Despues de una discusion aestetica de los colores de las cortinas royales,
todos los progresistas del pais pronunciaron su condena energica.
Todos los sectores de derechos tambien hicieron declaraciones
en defensa de sus convicciones
Far from the garish procession
A ray
Melting the postures
Loosening the gaintrap, controlling the essence
releasing the monstrance, refinding the present to
find a certain hot inside this frozen tundra-like existential flotsam
Molding icons
to a fashion
Blasting tunnel vision
Set your places then
Fork it over
Give it with zest as your digest your model
Review a saint and give a child its bottle
Pass the fat and smile with deep compassion
Epitomize your
social scene
There is nothing
harder than hope
to dissolve morbid cursor
writing over our
query, laughter, urge to balance
Searching for pullers of knives in rocks
Power
Shallow water
New meanings
Old refrains
And gods sway
like the wheat in the fields when it rains
Lyrics submitted by CrYiNgLoNeLyTeArZ
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
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"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'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/