"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.
You took me to the restaurant where we first met
You knocked a future shock crowbar upside my head
I got caught with the stop of the tick-tock, tick-tock clock
When you told me what you knew
Lost in the moment
The day that the music stopped
And I do remember you
Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot
Where will this lead us, I'm scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
I tried to tell you I am not afraid
You looked up and saw it all across my face
So am I with you or am I against
I don't think it's that easy, we're lost in regret
Now I'm trying to remember
The feeling when the music stopped
When you told me what you knew
Lost in the moment
The day that the music stopped
And I do remember you
Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot
Where does this leave us - I'm scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot
Where does this leave us - I'm scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
The outsiders are gathering
A man walks away when every muscle says to stay
How many yesterdays, they each weigh heavy
Who says what changes may come?
Who says what we call home?
I know you see right through me, my luminescence fades
The dusk provides an antidote, I am not afraid
I've been a million times in my mind
This is really just a technicality, frailty, reality
Uh, it's time to breathe, time to believe
Let it go and run towards the sea
They don't teach that, they don't know what you mean
They don't understand, they don't know what you mean
They don't get it, I want to scream
I want to breathe again, I want to dream
I want to float a quote from Martin Luther King
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
You knocked a future shock crowbar upside my head
I got caught with the stop of the tick-tock, tick-tock clock
When you told me what you knew
Lost in the moment
The day that the music stopped
And I do remember you
Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot
Where will this lead us, I'm scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
I tried to tell you I am not afraid
You looked up and saw it all across my face
So am I with you or am I against
I don't think it's that easy, we're lost in regret
Now I'm trying to remember
The feeling when the music stopped
When you told me what you knew
Lost in the moment
The day that the music stopped
And I do remember you
Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot
Where does this leave us - I'm scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
Drawing patterns with a cork on the tablecloth
Promising volcanic change of plot
Where does this leave us - I'm scared of the storm
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
The outsiders are gathering, a new day is born
The outsiders are gathering
A man walks away when every muscle says to stay
How many yesterdays, they each weigh heavy
Who says what changes may come?
Who says what we call home?
I know you see right through me, my luminescence fades
The dusk provides an antidote, I am not afraid
I've been a million times in my mind
This is really just a technicality, frailty, reality
Uh, it's time to breathe, time to believe
Let it go and run towards the sea
They don't teach that, they don't know what you mean
They don't understand, they don't know what you mean
They don't get it, I want to scream
I want to breathe again, I want to dream
I want to float a quote from Martin Luther King
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
I am not afraid
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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,
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.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
I take the 'outsiders' to be the left--the liberals left feeling out of place and unrepresented by the Bush regime. This song beautifully describes that feeling after 9/11, when Bush said that anyone not for him was against him. What a strange environment it was, somehow anyone who didn't thinka long with the ultra-right didn't love their country. The Q Tip part is amazing, brings tears to my eyes and inspires me to fight for that ideal that some of us still believe America has a chance at becoming.