"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.
Wrote a letter to you and threw it away,
Spirit tried to call me without words to say,
Sister can you tell me if it's gonna be OK,
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud,
Calling out without a sound,
She had witchcraft,
She drank from the craft,
Her eyes are the opening to the soul,
Where spirits lie and secrets can be told,
Make her an offer your fortune can be sold,
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud,
Calling out without a sound,
She had witchcraft,
She drank from the craft,
Spirit tried to call me without words to say,
Sister can you tell me if it's gonna be OK,
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud,
Calling out without a sound,
She had witchcraft,
She drank from the craft,
Her eyes are the opening to the soul,
Where spirits lie and secrets can be told,
Make her an offer your fortune can be sold,
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud,
Calling out without a sound,
She had witchcraft,
She drank from the craft,
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Just A Little Lovin'
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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:
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Head > Heels
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i love this song - why no comments?
come on
It's about a witch disguised as a fortuneteller... or maybe something deeper. I liked this one better live, but that's just because it's louder live. XP
best song on the album. Flute solo canney beat it!
I think the character (singer?) fell in love with a pagan. He wrote a letter confessing his love to her, but couldn't bring himself to give it to her. He sensed the love pouring from her spirit (the pagan Law of Three: whatever you give, i.e. love, you get back times three), so grew closer to her without her having to say anything. I'm personally a pagan, and think these guys might be (seriously, anyone know? Their lyrics are so infused with pagan meaning). What do you guys think?
wiked song, not much to it i recon but its not the words that go off its the sound!! seeing these guys headlining at southbound in 2 days!! cant wait
i love this song so much, my favourite from the album. "chains and bangles were ringing aloud".. awesome imagery. makes me think of magical, mystical things. the pagan thing is very interesting, foozlesprite.. if it's true, it makes a lot of sense.
Im not sure about the whole pagan thing, i think the whole song it just metaphorical and that he's comparing the girl he loves to a pagan. If so, the imagery and emotion of the song is absolutely amazing.
This song, like all of wolfmother's, blows me away every time i listen to it.
I think the line 'Make her an offer your fortune can be sold' talks about how all he can offer the girl is his love and his soul, and that's his fortune.
I dunno, i cant believe there aren't many comments on this. It's such a breathtaking. The flute is amazing.
I dunno, the pagan thing does make a lot of sense, maybe im just looking into it too deeply, i have a huge thing for metaphoric songs.
colossal girl (hehe, nice.).. yeah i definitely agree with your comment on the 'fortune' line. & the flute is amazing - i leant this song on bass a couple of days ago, and my guitar teacher played the flute to it. he's very talented. it sounded so awesome..! i've been thinking about the line "she drank from the craft" line a bit.. it puzzles me. maybe it means she lives off of the things she gains with/from her witchcraft.. like having her cake & eating it too.. i don't know. maybe using her witchcraft for selfish reasons... hm. anyone have any ideas?
meg;, lol you like my name? i love it. Colossal is my favourite song. Anyways, what you said about the 'she drank from the craft' line, i think you've got it pretty right. But i dunno, we could all have it wrong. It's such a hard to song to work out, so much imagery and so it could be anything.