"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.
Half underwater, I'm half my mother's daughter
A fraction's left up to dispute
The whole collection, half of the price they're asking
In the halfway house of ill repute
Half accidental, half painful instrumental
I have a lot to think about
You think they're joking? You have to go provoke him
I guess it's high time you found out
It's half biology and half corrective surgery gone wrong
You'll notice something funny if you hang around here for too
Long ago in some black hole before they had these pills to take it back
I'm half Jill and half Jack
Two halves are equal, a cross between two evils
It's not an enviable lot
But if you listen you'll learn to hear the difference
Between the halves and the half knots
When I let him, when I feel the stitches getting sicker
I try to wash him out but like they say, 'The blood is thicker'
I see my mother in my face but only when I travel
I run as fast as I can run but Jack comes tumbling after
And when I'm brave enough and find a clever way to kick him out
And I'm so high, not even you and all your love could bring me down
On 83rd he never found the magic words to change this fact
I'm half Jill and half Jack
I'm halfway home now, half hoping for a showdown
'Cause I'm not big enough to house this crowd
It might destroy me but I'd sacrifice my body
If it meant I'd get the Jack part out
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, see Jack
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, see Jack
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, see Jack
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, run Jack, run
A fraction's left up to dispute
The whole collection, half of the price they're asking
In the halfway house of ill repute
Half accidental, half painful instrumental
I have a lot to think about
You think they're joking? You have to go provoke him
I guess it's high time you found out
It's half biology and half corrective surgery gone wrong
You'll notice something funny if you hang around here for too
Long ago in some black hole before they had these pills to take it back
I'm half Jill and half Jack
Two halves are equal, a cross between two evils
It's not an enviable lot
But if you listen you'll learn to hear the difference
Between the halves and the half knots
When I let him, when I feel the stitches getting sicker
I try to wash him out but like they say, 'The blood is thicker'
I see my mother in my face but only when I travel
I run as fast as I can run but Jack comes tumbling after
And when I'm brave enough and find a clever way to kick him out
And I'm so high, not even you and all your love could bring me down
On 83rd he never found the magic words to change this fact
I'm half Jill and half Jack
I'm halfway home now, half hoping for a showdown
'Cause I'm not big enough to house this crowd
It might destroy me but I'd sacrifice my body
If it meant I'd get the Jack part out
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, see Jack
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, see Jack
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, see Jack
See Jack, run Jack, run Jack, run Jack, run
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
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/
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I always thought this was about her father, but I link it to my father, and therefore to mental illness (my dad's pretty nuts and his mother was schizophrenic).
To me, she wants to "get the Jack part out" because that's the mentally ill part- she carries his crazy genes. Hence for me the "before they had these pills to take" part refers to mood stabilisers, SSRIs (Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Prozac etc), or maybe even anti-psychotics. Before these pills she couldn't control the crazy part of her which came from her father.
I admit there's not much in there that obviously points to mental illness, it's mostly my personal take on it, but some lines that I think hint at it are "half underwater"; "half painful instrumental"; (both suggest something not right, unclear or unhappy) "you'll notice something funny" (about her...i.e. she's mad); "I guess it's high time you found out" (about the mental illness that runs in the family).
@wkap I love this interpretation.
@wkap I love this interpretation.