"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.
Here I go out to sea again
The sunshine fills my hair
And dreams hang in the air
Gulls in the sky and in my blue eyes
You know it feels unfair
There's magic everywhere
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
The sun in your eyes
The heat is in your hair
They seem to hate you
Because you're there
I need a friend
Oh I need a friend
To make me happy
Not stand here on my own
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
I need a friend
Oh I need a friend
To make me happy
Not so alone (ooh)
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to run and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
Wonderful life
Wonderful life
Wonderful life (ooh)
The sunshine fills my hair
And dreams hang in the air
Gulls in the sky and in my blue eyes
You know it feels unfair
There's magic everywhere
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
The sun in your eyes
The heat is in your hair
They seem to hate you
Because you're there
I need a friend
Oh I need a friend
To make me happy
Not stand here on my own
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
I need a friend
Oh I need a friend
To make me happy
Not so alone (ooh)
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to run and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
Wonderful life
Wonderful life
Wonderful life (ooh)
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Geez, no-one's commented on this song yet. I think it's a great song. To me the lyrics are confusing however. Half the song seems to be optimistic, while the other half seems so sad. I'm not 100% percent sure what the real meaning of the song is, so I hope someone else will comment on what they think.
I reckon this could be interpreted in several ways. <br /> 1) She could've just gotten outta any sorta relationship (Friendship, love interest, estrangement from family etc) And it's after all the cryings been done and she's just left there to contemplate the situation<br /> 2) Just the ever-surrounding negativity and hatred that surrounds us. <br /> <br /> Anyways, i reckon theres an optimistic feel towards it, as in the singer is trying to be positive, but with every new optimistic thought she has, theres a negative feel that comes right after. Like you can't be happy when theres something bugging you. <br /> <br /> She also doesn't think she can do it alone, and she needs help from someone who actually really cares. Like wants someone to listen to them, and really listen, to care about what they say and yer.<br /> <br /> Theres a beauty in everything, she's noticing it, but at that moment, the negative impact that she's had is affecting her ultimate decision. She's trying to care, but she just doesn't know how to really do it.<br /> <br /> <br /> Well... My thoughts anyway
the best song ever, its makes me cry sometimes, but the ambient feel of the song, takes m to another place away from this world, its like a fantasy kind of song. i like her version the best out of all the other version. such a magical voice.