"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.
Some cats grow by the laws of the wild
Some learn slower and lag in the mud
Some stand up in defense of a style
Some let the big dogs eat them up
At exactly 11:35pm on January 21st I fell asleep sound
At exactly 11:35pm on Januray 21st some shit went down
[Aesop Rock]
Now Benny was a New York City crime kingpin
Five girl, fame, guaranteed to itch pigskin
Raided near the Brooklyn Naval yard, undercover
When they asked him what he pled he said, "You're fuckin' up my color!"
[Mr. Lif]
Okay, Jose is working in the slaughterhouse
Said he's living in the hood, but he wants to get his daughter out
Slipped off a ledge, and fell into a machine
Another dead immagrant, that's the American Dream
[Aesop Rock]
Miss Molly, helpless, made a penny with a data entry temp gig
Overqualified by the rent sticks
Red brick bash with a texted green screen
Like, "I entered my data right into your screen"
[Mr. Lif]
Jane went insane, she's an anchorwoman
Sick of pusing skewed information
And abusing the nation
Had a few options:
Either jump or run
Critical ways or waving a gun
Time for C-H-A-N-G-E
Held a knife to the VP on TV
She demanded that the format be expanded
Beyond fair, everybody clear, understand it?
[Aesop Rock]
Billy was a coke fiend
[Mr. Lif]
Maggy was a cop
[Aesop Rock]
Like a dope he stole green
[Mr. Lif]
She patroled the block
[Aesop Rock]
Banking off his old scheme
[Mr. Lif]
She recognized his plot
[Aesop Rock]
He thought he was home free
[Mr. Lif]
She knew that he was not
[Aesop Rock]
Now it's off to the jail in a blue squad car
[Mr. Lif]
She pocketed the crack before they got far
[Aesop Rock]
Billy watches Maggy from behind steel bars
Like "Where the crack went?"
[Mr. Lif]
"I'ma smoke it tomorrah"
[Aesop Rock]
They call him Larry Luck
Blackjack, big spender
He was married once
Till he bet her ring finger
Seen leaving Las Vegas
With a pick up truck, diamond
Fourty large, and beautiful wife piece
Than what he came with
Itched to get rich found nickels in the couch
Hitched back to the casino with in an hour
Said "I'm here to make a dollar out of fifteen cents"
And was immediately shot to his death over debts
[Mr. Lif]
As Colin died, his mother cried
By the EMS survived
Said that he could be revived but they lied
Afterlife realized that water from the skies
Washes pain from our eyes so our hopes could rise
[Aesop Rock]
Now, J.J. punch drunk, acts like a dumb fuck
Bum touched girls looking young enough to thumb suck
Once sought a life thought it right to write about
Now gets raped by aryans in the big house (OUCH!)
[Mr. Lif]
Ted did 20 years for growing some weed
Though he used to snort coke and dabble with speed
Welcome home, homie, here's a blunt with that
You know the rules, bitch, take two and pass
Some cats grow by the laws of the wild
Some learn slower and lag in the mud
Some stand up in defense of a style
Some let the big dogs eat them up
At exactly 11:35pm on January 21st I fell asleep sound
At exactly 11:35pm on Januray 21st some shit went down
[Aesop Rock]
I got one Jack or Jill
Jill won't, Jack will
Jill didn't, then did it
Jack fell
No cellophane secrets, b
I guess I sense two felt bumps in the tar
No cell
But hell, you jump the bar so well
Parted your partners veil and dipped
I'm New York harbor
Tale of a sail, ripped sorta
Stuck on purpose for tha love of birthplace
But would have carried you home inside of my teeth anyday
Turns out I wasn't cast in the master plan anyway
He holds no grudge, holds his tongue, wow
Same one she used to hold in both smiles
instinctual last shout if it killed me
So you can ride up in the sun city guilt-free
One year passed, the table is wobbling and your hollerin' back
Sippin the fits you skip when shit cracks
They never missed it
Not a long haul, bullshit, kids kicked into the sink
Shoebox, with a flicks of lipstick
I'll love you forever, cuz you know me better
For the record, at one time, would have married you in a second
But kill the rekindling dreams and navigate the friendship
Or else by the time the stress wears out we'll both be dead and friendless
Some learn slower and lag in the mud
Some stand up in defense of a style
Some let the big dogs eat them up
At exactly 11:35pm on January 21st I fell asleep sound
At exactly 11:35pm on Januray 21st some shit went down
[Aesop Rock]
Now Benny was a New York City crime kingpin
Five girl, fame, guaranteed to itch pigskin
Raided near the Brooklyn Naval yard, undercover
When they asked him what he pled he said, "You're fuckin' up my color!"
[Mr. Lif]
Okay, Jose is working in the slaughterhouse
Said he's living in the hood, but he wants to get his daughter out
Slipped off a ledge, and fell into a machine
Another dead immagrant, that's the American Dream
[Aesop Rock]
Miss Molly, helpless, made a penny with a data entry temp gig
Overqualified by the rent sticks
Red brick bash with a texted green screen
Like, "I entered my data right into your screen"
[Mr. Lif]
Jane went insane, she's an anchorwoman
Sick of pusing skewed information
And abusing the nation
Had a few options:
Either jump or run
Critical ways or waving a gun
Time for C-H-A-N-G-E
Held a knife to the VP on TV
She demanded that the format be expanded
Beyond fair, everybody clear, understand it?
[Aesop Rock]
Billy was a coke fiend
[Mr. Lif]
Maggy was a cop
[Aesop Rock]
Like a dope he stole green
[Mr. Lif]
She patroled the block
[Aesop Rock]
Banking off his old scheme
[Mr. Lif]
She recognized his plot
[Aesop Rock]
He thought he was home free
[Mr. Lif]
She knew that he was not
[Aesop Rock]
Now it's off to the jail in a blue squad car
[Mr. Lif]
She pocketed the crack before they got far
[Aesop Rock]
Billy watches Maggy from behind steel bars
Like "Where the crack went?"
[Mr. Lif]
"I'ma smoke it tomorrah"
[Aesop Rock]
They call him Larry Luck
Blackjack, big spender
He was married once
Till he bet her ring finger
Seen leaving Las Vegas
With a pick up truck, diamond
Fourty large, and beautiful wife piece
Than what he came with
Itched to get rich found nickels in the couch
Hitched back to the casino with in an hour
Said "I'm here to make a dollar out of fifteen cents"
And was immediately shot to his death over debts
[Mr. Lif]
As Colin died, his mother cried
By the EMS survived
Said that he could be revived but they lied
Afterlife realized that water from the skies
Washes pain from our eyes so our hopes could rise
[Aesop Rock]
Now, J.J. punch drunk, acts like a dumb fuck
Bum touched girls looking young enough to thumb suck
Once sought a life thought it right to write about
Now gets raped by aryans in the big house (OUCH!)
[Mr. Lif]
Ted did 20 years for growing some weed
Though he used to snort coke and dabble with speed
Welcome home, homie, here's a blunt with that
You know the rules, bitch, take two and pass
Some cats grow by the laws of the wild
Some learn slower and lag in the mud
Some stand up in defense of a style
Some let the big dogs eat them up
At exactly 11:35pm on January 21st I fell asleep sound
At exactly 11:35pm on Januray 21st some shit went down
[Aesop Rock]
I got one Jack or Jill
Jill won't, Jack will
Jill didn't, then did it
Jack fell
No cellophane secrets, b
I guess I sense two felt bumps in the tar
No cell
But hell, you jump the bar so well
Parted your partners veil and dipped
I'm New York harbor
Tale of a sail, ripped sorta
Stuck on purpose for tha love of birthplace
But would have carried you home inside of my teeth anyday
Turns out I wasn't cast in the master plan anyway
He holds no grudge, holds his tongue, wow
Same one she used to hold in both smiles
instinctual last shout if it killed me
So you can ride up in the sun city guilt-free
One year passed, the table is wobbling and your hollerin' back
Sippin the fits you skip when shit cracks
They never missed it
Not a long haul, bullshit, kids kicked into the sink
Shoebox, with a flicks of lipstick
I'll love you forever, cuz you know me better
For the record, at one time, would have married you in a second
But kill the rekindling dreams and navigate the friendship
Or else by the time the stress wears out we'll both be dead and friendless
Lyrics submitted by bengt12
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
One of my favorite songs. I LOVE the last paragraph. Not only is it well written but it flows beautifully.
except it's, "but kill the rekindling dreams and navigate the friendship"
im sure that the first line of Ace's first verse is "Now Benny was a New York City graph kingpin" as it works better with the last sentence in that verse.
correction - "Benny was a New York City graff kingpin"
I just knew aesop last year and it's clear you guys have known him forever but i'm glad i know him too the song rocks so does aesop
Wow. I'm so happy I found this site. I was fortunate enough to grab the special edition of fast cars, danger, fire and knives; which came with a complete books of his lyrics including; Float, Labor days, daylight bazooka tooth and fast cars, danger, fire and knives. <br /> <br /> Anyways back to 11:35. I assume all those instances occurred at 11:35 when ace "fell asleep sound." Saying that no matter what time it is, or how calm your subjective view is, There is always shit going down. <br /> <br /> Last line of this song is very creative and artistic.