"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.
Mother winter leaves our land
And opens wide the seas
The lukewarm breeze does beckon me
As it whispers through the trees
It says: Set your sails
And let me take your ship to foreign shores
Take farewell of those near you
And your land of the North!
The wild cold deep black ocean's waves
Invites my hungry heart
Cry not my love I'll return
Only death can keep us apart
Oden in the sky up high
Let the Ravens of yours fly
To guide us on our sail to foreign shores
Let your Ravens fly
The wind blows through my hair
And fills our sails with hope and pride
Caress these lines of Oak, wind
Do not throw us all aside
The wild cold deep black ocean's waves
As wide as sky above
Carry us, oh, Gods of sea
Don't take us down below
Now approach the shore at dawn
All is still the light of daybreak is yet to be born
Clad in morning dew asleep
The city's walls rise before us men from the seas
Carrying cold steel at our sides
No time to lose at sunbirth we attack the city by surprise
Down the coastlines with the wind we reign
Men of the North we leave the shores in flames
Shores in Flames Shores in Flames
Shores in Flames Shores in Flames
Fire!
Tor of thunder way up high
Swing your Hammer that cracks the sky
Send the wind to fill our sails and take us home
Guide your sons, us, home
When the wind cries out my name
And time has come for me to die
Then wrap me in my cape
And lay my sword down at my side
Then place me on a ship of Oak
And let it drift with tide
Let the flames purify my soul
On its way to hall up high
Up high
Up high
Up high
Up high
Fire!
And opens wide the seas
The lukewarm breeze does beckon me
As it whispers through the trees
It says: Set your sails
And let me take your ship to foreign shores
Take farewell of those near you
And your land of the North!
The wild cold deep black ocean's waves
Invites my hungry heart
Cry not my love I'll return
Only death can keep us apart
Oden in the sky up high
Let the Ravens of yours fly
To guide us on our sail to foreign shores
Let your Ravens fly
The wind blows through my hair
And fills our sails with hope and pride
Caress these lines of Oak, wind
Do not throw us all aside
The wild cold deep black ocean's waves
As wide as sky above
Carry us, oh, Gods of sea
Don't take us down below
Now approach the shore at dawn
All is still the light of daybreak is yet to be born
Clad in morning dew asleep
The city's walls rise before us men from the seas
Carrying cold steel at our sides
No time to lose at sunbirth we attack the city by surprise
Down the coastlines with the wind we reign
Men of the North we leave the shores in flames
Shores in Flames Shores in Flames
Shores in Flames Shores in Flames
Fire!
Tor of thunder way up high
Swing your Hammer that cracks the sky
Send the wind to fill our sails and take us home
Guide your sons, us, home
When the wind cries out my name
And time has come for me to die
Then wrap me in my cape
And lay my sword down at my side
Then place me on a ship of Oak
And let it drift with tide
Let the flames purify my soul
On its way to hall up high
Up high
Up high
Up high
Up high
Fire!
Lyrics submitted by Disposition_987
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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/
i just love the intro to this song. you can hear waves pounding against a shore and then a soft guitar sound picks up. Quorthon then begins singing using a CLEAN voice (you wouldn't expect that, but he sounds great) if you close your eyes and relax, you can feel yourself alone on a shore as the sun sets and you can see the waves pounding continously and the sound lulls you into a calm state of mind.
there is no insane speed on this song, but it is heavy and pounding and it keeps you interested for all elven minutes of the song.
Quorthon is a fucking GENIUS. VIKING METAL RULES!