"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.
She says
It helps with the lights out
Her rabid glow
Is like braille to the night
She swears
I'm a slave to the details
But if your life is such a big joke
Why should I care?
The clock is set for nine
But you know you're gonna make it eight
So that you two can take some time
Teach each other to reciprocate
She feels that my sentimental side
Should be held with kids gloves
But she doesn't know
That I left my urge in the icebox
She swears
I'm just prey for the female
Well then hook me up and throw me baby cakes
'Cause I like to get hooked
The clock is set for nine
But you know you're gonna make it eight
All the people that you've loved
They're all bound to leave some keepsakes
I've been swinging all the time
Think it's time I learned your way
I picture you and me together
In the jungle it will be okay
I'll bring you when my lifeboat
Sails through the night
That is supposing that
You don't sleep tonight
It's like learning a new language
Helps me catch up on my mind
If you don't bring up those lonely parts
This could be a good time
It's like learning a new language
You come here to me
We'll collect those lonely parts
And set them down
You come here to me
She says brief things
Her love's a pony
My love's subliminal
She says brief things
Her love's a pony
My love's subliminal
It helps with the lights out
Her rabid glow
Is like braille to the night
She swears
I'm a slave to the details
But if your life is such a big joke
Why should I care?
The clock is set for nine
But you know you're gonna make it eight
So that you two can take some time
Teach each other to reciprocate
She feels that my sentimental side
Should be held with kids gloves
But she doesn't know
That I left my urge in the icebox
She swears
I'm just prey for the female
Well then hook me up and throw me baby cakes
'Cause I like to get hooked
The clock is set for nine
But you know you're gonna make it eight
All the people that you've loved
They're all bound to leave some keepsakes
I've been swinging all the time
Think it's time I learned your way
I picture you and me together
In the jungle it will be okay
I'll bring you when my lifeboat
Sails through the night
That is supposing that
You don't sleep tonight
It's like learning a new language
Helps me catch up on my mind
If you don't bring up those lonely parts
This could be a good time
It's like learning a new language
You come here to me
We'll collect those lonely parts
And set them down
You come here to me
She says brief things
Her love's a pony
My love's subliminal
She says brief things
Her love's a pony
My love's subliminal
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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”
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/
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.
i see it more as a couple who's realtionship is all about sex. however, the guy has become attached to the girl emotionally, and wants their relationship to mean something more. but "She feels that my sentimental side should be held with kid gloves" and doesn't want any of that. on the rest of it i'm kind of unsure, i think that he reconciled and decided to just let their relationships stay the way it is, even if he wants more, "cuz I like to get hooked." the last lines i interpret as just being a summary, and her love being "a pony" means that she just wants to have sex, her love is totally animal, and she doesn't talk much(she says brief things). but of course, like so many men, he is attached anyway, "my love's subliminal."
this is just my interpretation of what is in my opinion the best song on Turn On the Bright Lights and one of the best songs ever