"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 got my stitches stitched, I got my fixes fixed
In my aching heads I got my kisses slipped
Our gossip lips stuttered every word I said, I said
I got your love letters, corrected the grammar and sent them back
It's true, romance is dead, I shot it in the chest then in the head
And if you wanna go down in history then I'm your friend
Because they've got me in a band where I've never seen a heart I couldn't break
It was never about the songs, it was competition
Make the biggest scene, make the biggest
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
I'm casully-obsessed and I've forgiven death
I am indifferent yet (I'm a total wreck)
I'm every cliche, but I simply do it best
And if you wanna go down in history then I'm your friend
Because they've got me in a band where I've never seen a heart I couldn't break
It was never about the songs, it was competition
Make the biggest scene, make the biggest
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
(Go!)
I went to sleep a poet, and I woke up a fraud
To calm your nerves I'm feeling for my clothes in the dark
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
In my aching heads I got my kisses slipped
Our gossip lips stuttered every word I said, I said
I got your love letters, corrected the grammar and sent them back
It's true, romance is dead, I shot it in the chest then in the head
And if you wanna go down in history then I'm your friend
Because they've got me in a band where I've never seen a heart I couldn't break
It was never about the songs, it was competition
Make the biggest scene, make the biggest
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
I'm casully-obsessed and I've forgiven death
I am indifferent yet (I'm a total wreck)
I'm every cliche, but I simply do it best
And if you wanna go down in history then I'm your friend
Because they've got me in a band where I've never seen a heart I couldn't break
It was never about the songs, it was competition
Make the biggest scene, make the biggest
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
(Go!)
I went to sleep a poet, and I woke up a fraud
To calm your nerves I'm feeling for my clothes in the dark
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Which came first, the music or the misery?
We're high-fashion, we're last chances
Lyrics submitted by BrandNew1208
The Music or the Misery Lyrics as written by Joseph Mark Trohman Andrew John Hurley
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
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/
Best song EVER! Fall Out Boy played it in concert and my heart simply melted.