"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.
It's knowin' that your door is always open
And your path is free to walk
That makes me tend to leave my sleepin' bag rolled up
And stashed behind your couch
And it's knowin' I'm not shackled by forgotten words and bonds
And the ink stains that have dried upon some lines
That keeps you in the back roads by the rivers of my memory
And keeps you ever gentle on my mind
It's not clingin' to the rocks and ivy
Planted on their columns now that bind me
Or somethin' that somebody said
Because they thought we fit together walkin'
It's just knowin' that the world will not be cursin' or forgivin'
When I walk along some railroad track and find
That you're movin' on the back roads by the rivers of my memory
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind
Though the wheat fields and the coastlines
And the junkyards and the highways come between us
And some other woman's cryin' to her mother
'Cause she turned and I was gone
I still might run in silence, tears of joy might stain my face
And the summer sun might burn me till I'm blind
But not to where I cannot see you walkin' on the back roads
By the rivers flowin' gentle on my mind
I dip my cup of soup
Back from a gurglin', cracklin' cauldron in some train yard
My beard a roughenin' coal pile
And a dirty hat pulled low across my face
Through cupped hands 'round a tin can
I pretend to hold you to my breast and find
That you're wavin' from the back roads by the rivers of my memories
Ever smilin', ever gentle on my mind
And your path is free to walk
That makes me tend to leave my sleepin' bag rolled up
And stashed behind your couch
And it's knowin' I'm not shackled by forgotten words and bonds
And the ink stains that have dried upon some lines
That keeps you in the back roads by the rivers of my memory
And keeps you ever gentle on my mind
It's not clingin' to the rocks and ivy
Planted on their columns now that bind me
Or somethin' that somebody said
Because they thought we fit together walkin'
It's just knowin' that the world will not be cursin' or forgivin'
When I walk along some railroad track and find
That you're movin' on the back roads by the rivers of my memory
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind
Though the wheat fields and the coastlines
And the junkyards and the highways come between us
And some other woman's cryin' to her mother
'Cause she turned and I was gone
I still might run in silence, tears of joy might stain my face
And the summer sun might burn me till I'm blind
But not to where I cannot see you walkin' on the back roads
By the rivers flowin' gentle on my mind
I dip my cup of soup
Back from a gurglin', cracklin' cauldron in some train yard
My beard a roughenin' coal pile
And a dirty hat pulled low across my face
Through cupped hands 'round a tin can
I pretend to hold you to my breast and find
That you're wavin' from the back roads by the rivers of my memories
Ever smilin', ever gentle on my mind
Lyrics submitted by faeriellen, edited by emen7, cageyH
Gentle on My Mind Lyrics as written by John Hartford
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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
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.
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/
I have always thought is was about a train hobo, who has a thought or dream of a woman, which he has made up, a girl (and a life) he wishes for, pretends to have, all with a made up storyline of her/his life but in reality only exists in... the back roads of his memory.
@dp10249455 <br /> I believe that your thoughts are closest to the songs meaning the way I see it. She doesn't have to be real but I believe she is. As Hartman said, he wrote this after seeing Dr. Zhivago, a poet who was in a committed relationship but longed for a woman from his past. He couldn't be with her. The reasons differ between a train hopping hobo (which the author was not but it was cool to be in the early 60s) and two seperated and cant find eachother because of the Russian Revolution, for why they couldn't be together. The point is that they couldn't be together, not why. Both the author and Zhivago had commitments. Things like marriages and mortgages (ink stains and rocks and ivy) can strain relationships over time because being with that person is no longer strictly voluntary. He's not required to be with her. He loves her freely. He didn't abandon her. They were separated the events of their lives. Although, for whatever reasons, they can't be together, none of the tribulations of his life can keep him from the comfort of her memory. He can visit her in his thoughts and dreams, without any guilt over broken commitments, whenever he wants. Especially, when he settles down to sleep at night and is lonely (I tend to leave my sleeping bag rolled up and stached behind you couch.) Who more than a hobo, who has nobody and nothing, can appreciate having such memories to draw on? That might be why the story is told from that perspective. The song, as I see it, has absolutely nothing to do with wanderlust or fear of commitment.
@dp10249455 <br /> I believe that your thoughts are closest to the songs meaning the way I see it. She doesn't have to be real but I believe she is. As Hartman said, he wrote this after seeing Dr. Zhivago, a poet who was in a committed relationship but longed for a woman from his past. He couldn't be with her. The reasons differ between a train hopping hobo (which the author was not but it was cool to be in the early 60s) and two seperated and cant find eachother because of the Russian Revolution, as to why they couldn't be together. The point is that they couldn't be together, not why. Both the author and Zhivago had commitments. Things like marriages and mortgages (ink stains and rocks and ivy) can strain relationships over time because being with that person is no longer strictly voluntary. He's not required to be with her. He loves her freely. He didn't abandon her (the world will not be cursing or forgiving). They were separated the events of their lives. Although, for whatever reasons, they can't be together, none of the struggles of his life can keep him from the comfort of her memory. He can visit her in his thoughts and dreams, without any guilt over broken commitments, whenever he wants. Especially, when he settles down to sleep at night and is lonely (its knowing that your door ia always open and your path is free to walk, that makes TEND to leave my sleeping bag rolled up and stached behind your couch.) Who more than a hobo, who has nobody and nothing, can appreciate having such memories to draw on? That might be why the story is told from that perspective. The song, as I see it, has absolutely nothing to do with wanderlust or fear of commitment to her.