"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.
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am shattered on the floor
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am scattered on the floor
We are the wounds and the great cold death of the earth
"Earth is floating on the waters like an island,
Hanging from four rawhide ropes
Fastened at the top of the sacred four directions
The ropes are tied to the ceiling of the sky
When the ropes break, this world will come
Tumbling down and all living things will fall with it and die"
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am the fragments on the floor
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am the ashes on the floor
We are the wounds and the great cold death of the earth
Darkness and silence, the light shall flicker out
And I am shattered on the floor
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am scattered on the floor
We are the wounds and the great cold death of the earth
"Earth is floating on the waters like an island,
Hanging from four rawhide ropes
Fastened at the top of the sacred four directions
The ropes are tied to the ceiling of the sky
When the ropes break, this world will come
Tumbling down and all living things will fall with it and die"
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am the fragments on the floor
Life is a clay urn on the mantle
And I am the ashes on the floor
We are the wounds and the great cold death of the earth
Darkness and silence, the light shall flicker out
Lyrics submitted by Disposition_987
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
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.
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/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
"Life is a clay urn on the mantle And I am shattered on the floor"
That's pretty much my favorite metaphor in a song. The urn in which life is said to be is made out of clay, as any form of life is very vulnerable to be destroyed or injured. It dwells in an urn as it is doomed to have an inevitable end. And finally, the urn is on a mantle because all living things dwell in the 'temple' of Earth, which is regarded as a precious think, something that must be taken care of, just like a mantle that is usually correlated to valuable things. When the person says that is shattered on the floor, I presume that she has died on the inside, no longer having interest in living.
John Haughn shows his expertise as a lyricist in many ways, but I've found one that might be worth pointing out: He uses 4 synonyms for a word in the phrase after "Life is a clay urn on the mantle": shattered, scattered, fragments and ashes. To me it underlines his cautious work writing, putting a lot of thought into them,
"We are the wounds and the great cold death of the Earth."
The message it basically wants to convey is that we - humans - are the ones responsible for Earth's decay, dysharmony and gradual destruction. We shouldn't inhabit this land, we don't belong here.
"Earth is floating on the waters like an island, Hanging from four rawhide ropes"
Once again, our planet is perceived as fragile, it can easily be swallowed in the depths of death - so to speak-. (It is just suspended by 4 ropes)
"Darkness and silence, the light shall flicker out"
By this moment, Earth is approaching its end and the album meets its demise. (Desolation Song is outside the structure, it's just there as a bonus if you will. That, however, doesn't make it any worse than all the others in this Magnum Opus - The Mantle.)