"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.
There is hope for us
There is distance between you and I
We have just enough
And it comes as no surprise
I was in between
You were matches and kerosene
Is you conscience clear
Can you get it clean
Did you celebrate without me
Did you tell them all about me
Did you sell me out
If you ever had a doubt
Kiss me on the mouth
Can you sing for me
Can you sing it out
Kiss me on the mouth
Does it get you off
Get it off your chest
Such an awful year
Such an awful mess
Can't write, you can't sing
You can't do anything at all
Is there someone here
Can you make the call
Please make the call
And the ambulance is here
And if I haven't made it clear
Kiss me on the mouth
Did you sell me out
If you ever had a doubt
Kiss me on the mouth
Can you sing for me
Can you sing it out
There is hope for us
There are constants that we can't define
Is it all used up
Are we out of time
Did you sell me out
Well if you ever had a doubt
Kiss me on the mouth
Now the ambulance is here
And if I still haven't made it clear
Kiss me on the mouth
Can you sing for me
Can you sing it out
There is distance between you and I
We have just enough
And it comes as no surprise
I was in between
You were matches and kerosene
Is you conscience clear
Can you get it clean
Did you celebrate without me
Did you tell them all about me
Did you sell me out
If you ever had a doubt
Kiss me on the mouth
Can you sing for me
Can you sing it out
Kiss me on the mouth
Does it get you off
Get it off your chest
Such an awful year
Such an awful mess
Can't write, you can't sing
You can't do anything at all
Is there someone here
Can you make the call
Please make the call
And the ambulance is here
And if I haven't made it clear
Kiss me on the mouth
Did you sell me out
If you ever had a doubt
Kiss me on the mouth
Can you sing for me
Can you sing it out
There is hope for us
There are constants that we can't define
Is it all used up
Are we out of time
Did you sell me out
Well if you ever had a doubt
Kiss me on the mouth
Now the ambulance is here
And if I still haven't made it clear
Kiss me on the mouth
Can you sing for me
Can you sing it out
Lyrics submitted by mulmo
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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,
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 can't believe nobodies commented on this song... well, it's pretty rad. At least I like it. It holds a lot of meaning to me because my boyfriend right now is halfway across the country and well, I won't see him for another 2 weeks and he sent me this song over MSN. And he's really hot and gorgeous. And if you had a boyfriend like him you'd like this song too. haha So anyway, I think this song is about how when you're apart you feel as though you're missing out on so much together, and having totally different experiences... and that's what hurts the most. You can never communicate the right way if you can't touch somebody.