"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.
Shimmer to hide the maim, a “shame” to defame, cast the blame and reclaim the excellence
of confidence through violence so let’s commence.
Amid the invalid, I forbid, you overdid so I have to rid the flowerbed of your inbred,
overfed, shithead.
Fate is the strangest commodity I’ve ever seen. A strange commodity indeed.
Awaking suddenly with mischief in mind. In shock of curtain dreams of leperkind.
I strike the concubine in search of the call. Almost autistic he invades my stall.
Deformed? I disagree, no colony. Laugh as you die of irony.
There’s no romance, disgust the advance. The hopes of strange sex will entrance.
As you notice.
Strangely able, you mark the sleep with a seal. You feel these people cannot be real.
There’s no escape, I’m forced to rape. You want to gape? You’re not awake.
Fulfill confusion with destiny. You see? There is no genuine me.
I am a fraud, you are a fake, who gives a fuck? We’re not awake.
Dropped my phones in the toilet. Threw my clocks out the window. Threw my TVs
through my mirrors. Killed my family just because.
Burned my house down, while I was inside. Called the cops up, to tell them they’re fat.
Went to sleep, feeling supreme. Woke up fine, it was just a dream.
Robbing the clown of his smile. I claim to be a pedophile. So pray to me I am your
friend. I always have an ear to lend.
of confidence through violence so let’s commence.
Amid the invalid, I forbid, you overdid so I have to rid the flowerbed of your inbred,
overfed, shithead.
Fate is the strangest commodity I’ve ever seen. A strange commodity indeed.
Awaking suddenly with mischief in mind. In shock of curtain dreams of leperkind.
I strike the concubine in search of the call. Almost autistic he invades my stall.
Deformed? I disagree, no colony. Laugh as you die of irony.
There’s no romance, disgust the advance. The hopes of strange sex will entrance.
As you notice.
Strangely able, you mark the sleep with a seal. You feel these people cannot be real.
There’s no escape, I’m forced to rape. You want to gape? You’re not awake.
Fulfill confusion with destiny. You see? There is no genuine me.
I am a fraud, you are a fake, who gives a fuck? We’re not awake.
Dropped my phones in the toilet. Threw my clocks out the window. Threw my TVs
through my mirrors. Killed my family just because.
Burned my house down, while I was inside. Called the cops up, to tell them they’re fat.
Went to sleep, feeling supreme. Woke up fine, it was just a dream.
Robbing the clown of his smile. I claim to be a pedophile. So pray to me I am your
friend. I always have an ear to lend.
Lyrics submitted by nick jones
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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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,
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.
American Town
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Ed Sheeran
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