"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.
Abuse your body and call it love.
I hear the stories; the bruises speak for themselves.
You think we're blind because we are young.
I'm old enough to know now my age made me dumb.
I should have yelled and forced someone to hear those things we thought were better left unsaid. Is now too late? IT dominates my head. Those things we thought were better left unsaid. I could not choose a way. A choice that wasn't mine to make. Just make him go away. But if you're happy then i'm glad you found him. God, please help her find her way. A choice that wasn't mine to make. Just make him go away. Will she be happy when she finally finds herself? Does she know she has our help? Why do i even bother? We left those things unsaid. It hurts to talk but i'm starting to wish i did. We left those things unsaid. They hurt to hear. Why do i bother? Some things are better left off unsaid.
I hear the stories; the bruises speak for themselves.
You think we're blind because we are young.
I'm old enough to know now my age made me dumb.
I should have yelled and forced someone to hear those things we thought were better left unsaid. Is now too late? IT dominates my head. Those things we thought were better left unsaid. I could not choose a way. A choice that wasn't mine to make. Just make him go away. But if you're happy then i'm glad you found him. God, please help her find her way. A choice that wasn't mine to make. Just make him go away. Will she be happy when she finally finds herself? Does she know she has our help? Why do i even bother? We left those things unsaid. It hurts to talk but i'm starting to wish i did. We left those things unsaid. They hurt to hear. Why do i bother? Some things are better left off unsaid.
Lyrics submitted by supermarket riot
Magnolia Lyrics as written by Mark Edward Castillo Brendan Alexander Macdonald
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Yo La Tengo
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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,
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