"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.
Talking to Mary, you know you don't have to shout
She can hear what you're thinking like you're saying it right out loud
She sees behind that dirty look
It was her that followed down every every stupid turn you took
One day she'll go, I told you so
One day she'll go, I told you so
Saw the one big problem you keep under your hat
And its pretty unlikely that anyone else is cool with that
You got a bus fare in your pocket and more money down in your sock
But I can't tell you how to find her if you won't listen to her talk
One day she'll go, I told you so
One day she'll go, I told you so
Its no problem, I'll just keep quiet if its easier for you
To make believe in that I don't love you as much as I do
One day she'll go, I told you so
One day she'll go, I told you so
I told you so, I told you so
She can hear what you're thinking like you're saying it right out loud
She sees behind that dirty look
It was her that followed down every every stupid turn you took
One day she'll go, I told you so
One day she'll go, I told you so
Saw the one big problem you keep under your hat
And its pretty unlikely that anyone else is cool with that
You got a bus fare in your pocket and more money down in your sock
But I can't tell you how to find her if you won't listen to her talk
One day she'll go, I told you so
One day she'll go, I told you so
Its no problem, I'll just keep quiet if its easier for you
To make believe in that I don't love you as much as I do
One day she'll go, I told you so
One day she'll go, I told you so
I told you so, I told you so
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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 think it's about Mother Mary. in the first stanza sounds like a prayer to me and second stanza how she always lookin' after you but she's invisble so she can't contact you and eventually she'll give up on you and he confesses that he doesnt have much faith in mother mary so he'll just take care of his problem on his own. oh yeah he also talks about how everyone has a secret or two that no one wishes to let anyone know or to tell anyone
I completely agree about Mother Mary and the prayer, I was gonna post this idea but then read your and I couln't have put it better.
Don't get me wrong, i read the lyrics, and i love this song. To me the Mother Mary idea seems to be very likely in this song until the reference of money in her sock, to me that just sounds like a reference to prostitution, and i don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like Mother Mary to me.
On top of my last comment, Elliott was a Methodist and Methodist don't worship Mary
Elliott smith was a raised a methodist but he ended up giving up that faith. He later went on experimenting on other religions (catholic was one of them.)<br /> It is very possible that this song was written during that phase of his life. <br /> As for the lyric that talks about money down the sock he's talking in third person because the lyric goes pure<br /> <br /> "you got bus fare in your pocket, more money down in your sock<br /> But she can't tell you how to contact her if you won't listen to her talk"<br /> <br /> If he wasn't talking in third person, he would have used "you" instead of "she" therefore eliminating the possible prostitution reference. Yes the lyrics are similar to "pretty mary k" but elliott smith didn't like writing the same song over again.
he also uses that line in the Either/Or Sessions version of "Pretty Mary K." Since the latter song sounds like it's about a prostitute, I'll venture to say that this one is also. But, not that Mary is the prostitute, but the "you" in the song.
Beautiful and haunting song.
I do t really know if Elliott was a religious guy, and probably not. But I guess in this song he is playing graetly with the idea of "Morher Mary" at least the Chrustian figure of it and how she has omniscient powers to look after someone... pretty cool song though.
i'm pretty sure this is about mary lou lord
he likes the idea of money in socks ey? i like this song
lyric correction*-it isn't `but i can't tell you how to find her if you won't listen to her talk'
it's
but she can't tell you how to contact her if you won't listen to her talk
&
to make believe inthen that i dont love you...
just minor things. but i love this song. and jbt1500, to put the connection out there to Pretty Mary K, ahh. i love how he connects songs and 'characters' and such. elliott is indescribable....
this sounds like its about his mom and charlie. the song 'pretty mary k' was supposedly about his mother, so maybe he continued to use the name mary if he talked about her.
one of his greatest
I dunno, I think it could be about smoking pot (ie. Mary Jane). Particularly, "She sees behind that dirty look/It was her that followed down every stupid turn you took."
@Badja Close! It's about heroin. Mary is one of the many (feels like there are TOO many) names for the stuff.
For some reason, it reminds me of the Nick Drake song, The Thoughts Of Mary Jane - "Who can know the thoughts of Mary Jane / Why she flies or goes out in the rain/ Where she's been and who she's seen in her journey to the stars."