"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.
Yo we gotta start respecting life more y'all
You look at your brother man you gotta see yourself
Gotta see the God within him
Brothers getting changed real quick over nothing
We losing too many of ours
Gotta recreate y'all
Yo check it
Knowing you the best part of life do I have the right to take yours
'Cause I created you irresponsibly
Subconsciously knowing the act I was a part of
The start of something, I'm not ready to bring into the world
Had myself believing I was sterile
I look into mother's stomach, wonder if you are a boy or a girl
Turning this woman's womb into a tomb
But she and I agree, a seed we don't need
You would've been much more than a mouth to feed
But someone, I would of fed this information I read
To someone, my life for you I would of had to leave
Instead I lead you to death
I'm sorry for taking your first breath, first step, and first cry
But I wasn't prepared mentally nor financially
Having a child shouldn't have to bring out the man in me
Plus I wanted you to be raised within a family
I don't want to, go through the drama of having a baby's momma
Weekend visits and buying J's ain't gon' make me a father
For a while bearing a child is something I never wanted to do
For me to live forever I can only do that through you
Nerve I got to talk about them niggas with a gun
Must have really thought I was God to take the life of my son
I could have sacrificed going out
To think my homies who did it I used to joke about, from now on
I'ma use self control instead of birth control
'Cause $315 ain't worth your soul
$315 ain't worth your soul
$315 ain't worth it
I, never dreamed you'd leave, in summer
You said you would be here when it rained
Yo
Why didn't you stay
Seeing you as a present and a gift in itself
You had our child in you, I probably never feel what you felt
But you dealt with it like the strong black woman you are
Through our trials and tribulations, child's elimination
An integration of thoughts I feel about the situation
Back and forth my feelings was pacing
Happy deep down but not joyed enough to have it
But even that's a lie in less than two weeks, we was back at it
Is this unprotected love or safe to say it's lust
Busting, more than the sweat in somebody you trust
Or is it that we don't trust each other enough
And believe, having this child'll make us have to stay together
Don't I want you in my life cause you have made it better
Thinking we all in love 'cause we can spend a day together
We talking spending the rest of our lives
It's too many black women that can say they mothers
But can't say that they wives
I wouldn't chose any other to mother my understanding
But I want our Parenthood to come from Planning
It's so much in my life that's undone
We gotta see eye to eye, about family, before we can become one
If you had decided to have it the situation I wouldn't run from
But I'm walking, finding myself in my God
So I can, discipline my son with my writing
Not have a judge telling me how and when to raise my seed
Though his death was at our greed, with no one else to blame
I had a book of African names, case our minds changed
You say your period hasn't came, and lately I've been sleepy
So quit smoking the weed and the beadies and let's have this boy
I, never dreamed you'd leave in summer
You said you would be here when it rained
You said you would be here when it rained
Oh I, never dreamed you'd leave in summer
Now the situation's made things change
Things change
Why, didn't you stay
Why didn't you stay
I, never dreamed you'd leave, in summer
In summer
You said you would be here when, it rained
When it rained, it rained
Oh I, never dreamed, you'd leave in summer
You said you wouldn't leave
Now the situation's made things change
Things change, why didn't you stay?
Stay, stay stay stay stay stay stay
Stay
Oh why didn't you stay
You look at your brother man you gotta see yourself
Gotta see the God within him
Brothers getting changed real quick over nothing
We losing too many of ours
Gotta recreate y'all
Yo check it
Knowing you the best part of life do I have the right to take yours
'Cause I created you irresponsibly
Subconsciously knowing the act I was a part of
The start of something, I'm not ready to bring into the world
Had myself believing I was sterile
I look into mother's stomach, wonder if you are a boy or a girl
Turning this woman's womb into a tomb
But she and I agree, a seed we don't need
You would've been much more than a mouth to feed
But someone, I would of fed this information I read
To someone, my life for you I would of had to leave
Instead I lead you to death
I'm sorry for taking your first breath, first step, and first cry
But I wasn't prepared mentally nor financially
Having a child shouldn't have to bring out the man in me
Plus I wanted you to be raised within a family
I don't want to, go through the drama of having a baby's momma
Weekend visits and buying J's ain't gon' make me a father
For a while bearing a child is something I never wanted to do
For me to live forever I can only do that through you
Nerve I got to talk about them niggas with a gun
Must have really thought I was God to take the life of my son
I could have sacrificed going out
To think my homies who did it I used to joke about, from now on
I'ma use self control instead of birth control
'Cause $315 ain't worth your soul
$315 ain't worth your soul
$315 ain't worth it
I, never dreamed you'd leave, in summer
You said you would be here when it rained
Yo
Why didn't you stay
Seeing you as a present and a gift in itself
You had our child in you, I probably never feel what you felt
But you dealt with it like the strong black woman you are
Through our trials and tribulations, child's elimination
An integration of thoughts I feel about the situation
Back and forth my feelings was pacing
Happy deep down but not joyed enough to have it
But even that's a lie in less than two weeks, we was back at it
Is this unprotected love or safe to say it's lust
Busting, more than the sweat in somebody you trust
Or is it that we don't trust each other enough
And believe, having this child'll make us have to stay together
Don't I want you in my life cause you have made it better
Thinking we all in love 'cause we can spend a day together
We talking spending the rest of our lives
It's too many black women that can say they mothers
But can't say that they wives
I wouldn't chose any other to mother my understanding
But I want our Parenthood to come from Planning
It's so much in my life that's undone
We gotta see eye to eye, about family, before we can become one
If you had decided to have it the situation I wouldn't run from
But I'm walking, finding myself in my God
So I can, discipline my son with my writing
Not have a judge telling me how and when to raise my seed
Though his death was at our greed, with no one else to blame
I had a book of African names, case our minds changed
You say your period hasn't came, and lately I've been sleepy
So quit smoking the weed and the beadies and let's have this boy
I, never dreamed you'd leave in summer
You said you would be here when it rained
You said you would be here when it rained
Oh I, never dreamed you'd leave in summer
Now the situation's made things change
Things change
Why, didn't you stay
Why didn't you stay
I, never dreamed you'd leave, in summer
In summer
You said you would be here when, it rained
When it rained, it rained
Oh I, never dreamed, you'd leave in summer
You said you wouldn't leave
Now the situation's made things change
Things change, why didn't you stay?
Stay, stay stay stay stay stay stay
Stay
Oh why didn't you stay
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
ive only just come across this song cant believe thers only 3 comments this song is so touching