"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.
Your life, mislaid
Spoon-fed, well raised
[Chorus]
Hey you you're nodding out
What's this all about
Hey you you're nodding out
What's this all about
Hey you! hey you! hey you!
Hey you what's this now
Going down going down
Are you sorry now
Going down going down
What's your story now
Going down, why do you want to die
Black tar in your veins
Once new, now stained
[Chorus]
Your life, mislaid
Spoon-fed, well raised
Hey you
Spoon-fed, well raised
[Chorus]
Hey you you're nodding out
What's this all about
Hey you you're nodding out
What's this all about
Hey you! hey you! hey you!
Hey you what's this now
Going down going down
Are you sorry now
Going down going down
What's your story now
Going down, why do you want to die
Black tar in your veins
Once new, now stained
[Chorus]
Your life, mislaid
Spoon-fed, well raised
Hey you
Lyrics submitted by prayingmantis84
Hey You Lyrics as written by Youssou N Dour Habib Faye
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
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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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I love this song. It's my favorite. I can never get enough of it. Scotts voice is so sexy in here at parts. I think it's about the beginning of the down spiral in someones life?
mmm this song is about heroin don't you think? thats pretty obvious
This song is so much fun to play on Guitar Hero >.>
I agree with thanksagain... The line that gives away what this song is about is "Black Tar | Your Veins | Once new | Now stained"... The song is almost definately about heroin... I first heard this on 'Guitar Hero'. Another one of the 100 reasons why that game rocks! Obviously, the version on 'Guitar Hero' is not as good as the real one! For one thing, you can't hear the "Black Tar | Your Veins | Once new | Now stained" line as well, which is sad, since it's my favorite part!
yep, he said "black tar" in a song so it DEFINATELY cant be taken metaphorically.... when do artists EVER write something that could have a double meaning?!?
anyways, i believe hes talking about someone who went through life believing everything they were told as in "nodding out" and when it hit them how it was all messed up they were going down.
black tar in ur veins i believe is metaphorically comparing the damage to ur physical body as it is doing to ur soul. so basically heroin is to ur body as letting in all the garbage in this world is to your soul.
^^You have a point, and it can easily be about what your talking about, but it can very easily be about heroin! Aah... I love multiple POV's on a song!
wow that was a fast response after 6 months lol!
anyways im pretty sure its not about heroin. look up existentialist, which is the exies are. EXIES= EXISTientialist.
thanks for the explanation for the band, much as i knew it made no sense i took it as "the skexies" or whatever from the dark crystal XD<br />
thanks for the explanation for the band, much as i knew it made no sense i took it as "the skexies" or whatever from the dark crystal XD<br />
I love this song. I love playing it on Guitar Hero too.
"Black tar/In your veins/Once BLUE/Now stained" anyways i think this song is about somebody who took everything for granted, treated everyone like a dick. "black tar in your veins" possibly saying that now the person is corrupted, and now he is spiraling downward. thats my interpretation!
come on guys... it's obviously about heroin, to think otherwise is just foolish. "spoon fed"-cooking up heroin in a spoon "black tar in your veins"- meaning shooting black tar heroin into your veins "nodding out"- if you've ever seen somebody on heroin, they 'nod out' "why do you want to die?"- people die from heroin addiction