"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.
I hope this old train breaks down
Then I could take a walk around
See what there is to see
Time is just a melody
With all the people in the street
Walking as fast as their feet can take 'em
I just roll through town
And though my window's got a view
Well, the frame I'm looking through
Seems to have no concern for me now
So for now I
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
Well, this engine screams out loud
Centipede gonna crawl westbound
So I don't even make a sound
'Cause it's gonna sting me when I leave this town
And all the people in the street
That I'll never get to meet
These tracks don't bend somehow
And I got no time that I got to get to
Where I don't need to be, so I
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I wanna break on down
But I can't stop now
Let me break on down
But you can't stop nothing if you got no control
Of the thoughts in your mind that you kept and you know
You don't know nothing, but you don't need to know
The wisdom's in the trees, not the glass windows
You can't stop wishing if you don't let go
The things that you find and you lose and you know
You keep on rolling, put the moment on hold
The frame's too bright, so put the blinds down low and
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I wanna break on down
But I can't stop now
Then I could take a walk around
See what there is to see
Time is just a melody
With all the people in the street
Walking as fast as their feet can take 'em
I just roll through town
And though my window's got a view
Well, the frame I'm looking through
Seems to have no concern for me now
So for now I
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
Well, this engine screams out loud
Centipede gonna crawl westbound
So I don't even make a sound
'Cause it's gonna sting me when I leave this town
And all the people in the street
That I'll never get to meet
These tracks don't bend somehow
And I got no time that I got to get to
Where I don't need to be, so I
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I wanna break on down
But I can't stop now
Let me break on down
But you can't stop nothing if you got no control
Of the thoughts in your mind that you kept and you know
You don't know nothing, but you don't need to know
The wisdom's in the trees, not the glass windows
You can't stop wishing if you don't let go
The things that you find and you lose and you know
You keep on rolling, put the moment on hold
The frame's too bright, so put the blinds down low and
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I need this old train to break down
Oh, please just let me please breakdown
I wanna break on down
But I can't stop now
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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/
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
You seem pretty intelligent, Spellchamp. Your user name is pretty ironic, seeing as how you mispelled a fourth of the words in your comment.
Great song. I also think that it can be interpreted to be about a relationship that has you locked down.