"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.
Kelly the insistor
Your brother is a blister
I'll be had if I'm in your dress tonight
When you go and you're all alone
Are you still afraid of home
Do you lie in bed with fright
Your father said I lost her
Your brother said I fought her
But I stood still and I'm in your arms tonight
And when you rush I'll call your name
Like Harvard Square holds all inane
And don't you know I'll be your badger
And don't be terse and don't be shy
Just hug my lips and say good lies
And know that I will be your bail bond
Mickey the ol' lithper
Said hey there hey mister
My cold razor's edge will meet you in the light
When you go and you're on stage
Is your heart still filled with rage?
Do you still fight for lover's rights?
Challenge is for lovers
But I run my feet hurt
So I'll stay here and fight for lover's rights
And when you rush I'll call your name
Like Harvard Square holds all inane
And don't you know I'll be your badger
And don't be terse and don't be shy
Just hug my lips and say good lies
And know that I will be your bail bond
Oh Kelly don't you go
Kelly don't you go
Kelly don't you go
I want you to know
That I've been trying, I've been lying
I've been stealing, I've been hiding
I will meet you in the grave
Kelly, Kelly, it's not your right
To be cheating, fighting and starting life
When my head and hands are tied to you so tight
Oh Kelly just tell me one more thing
Is it mine or is it some other ring
That you wear as we lie in bed tonight?
And Kelly, who's the logger?
Oh, Kelly, who's the logger?
Oh Kelly, who's the logger who's trees were felled with might?
And Kelly, hold your water
Oh Kelly, hold your water
Oh Kelly, Kelly, hold your water tight
And as you rush I'll call your name
Like Harvard Square holds all inane
And don't you know I'll be your badger
And don't be terse and don't be shy
Just hug my lips and say goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbyebyebyebyebyebyebyebyebye
Your brother is a blister
I'll be had if I'm in your dress tonight
When you go and you're all alone
Are you still afraid of home
Do you lie in bed with fright
Your father said I lost her
Your brother said I fought her
But I stood still and I'm in your arms tonight
And when you rush I'll call your name
Like Harvard Square holds all inane
And don't you know I'll be your badger
And don't be terse and don't be shy
Just hug my lips and say good lies
And know that I will be your bail bond
Mickey the ol' lithper
Said hey there hey mister
My cold razor's edge will meet you in the light
When you go and you're on stage
Is your heart still filled with rage?
Do you still fight for lover's rights?
Challenge is for lovers
But I run my feet hurt
So I'll stay here and fight for lover's rights
And when you rush I'll call your name
Like Harvard Square holds all inane
And don't you know I'll be your badger
And don't be terse and don't be shy
Just hug my lips and say good lies
And know that I will be your bail bond
Oh Kelly don't you go
Kelly don't you go
Kelly don't you go
I want you to know
That I've been trying, I've been lying
I've been stealing, I've been hiding
I will meet you in the grave
Kelly, Kelly, it's not your right
To be cheating, fighting and starting life
When my head and hands are tied to you so tight
Oh Kelly just tell me one more thing
Is it mine or is it some other ring
That you wear as we lie in bed tonight?
And Kelly, who's the logger?
Oh, Kelly, who's the logger?
Oh Kelly, who's the logger who's trees were felled with might?
And Kelly, hold your water
Oh Kelly, hold your water
Oh Kelly, Kelly, hold your water tight
And as you rush I'll call your name
Like Harvard Square holds all inane
And don't you know I'll be your badger
And don't be terse and don't be shy
Just hug my lips and say goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbyebyebyebyebyebyebyebyebye
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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,
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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 reckon it starts off with him being a somewhat unreputable character and getting into this girl on the sly, but after a while together she ends up more of a bastard than him. Probably.
I think this song is almost deffinatley about a love affair with a married woman. Her family tries to keep her from the narrator but she insists on being with him. Then eventually insists on being with her hussband, "Mickey". I also belive the "when u go and your on stage part.." is her asking him. In the end he's trying to convince her to stop insisting and be with him one last time so he can say goodbye.
I love this song...Sad to see not too many people have heard it yet...Tapes 'n Tapes is awesome and this is one of my favs...
i've heard this tremendous track. It was my first exposure to tapes n' tapes. makes me want to get up and move around.
Does anyone have any idea what this means? Ive grown to think that it's just nonsensical. That being said, the song and lyrics are still awesome.
several of the tracks on The Loon don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. Insistor isn't a word, and I don’t know what all this is about Harvard Square and badgers and bail bonds... the parts that make sense seem to be about a young couple, the woman being very demanding (insistor=insister I assume), unfaithful (“Is it mine or is it some other ring / That you wear as we lie in bed tonight), and a liar who uses the man (just hug my lips and say good lies). The man, who first person narrates the song) seems to genuinely care for her, but in the end they break up (the last chorus isn’t …say good lies, it is …say goodbye)
I could be way way off, though…
I know this band doesn't purport to write lyrics with much meaning, but based on what I've heard, read and seen (in the video), this seems to be about a scoundrel of sorts who wants to corrupt or accost an innocent lady and a more well-intentioned person who wants her for more pure reasons. And she's caught in the middle. Or something like that.
Great song, in any case.
Check out another great Indie band from Minneapolis - Bridge Club. They played Tapes 'N Tapes CD release and Tapes played their CD release. They are by far the two best bands in Minneapolis now. bridgeclubmusic.com/
basically about a guy who can't get over a girl who doesn't belong to him. the girl is probably an actress he's obsessed with - someone who probably acts in a lot of love stories (cos he perceives her to "fight for lover's rights). because he can't get over her, she's like a nagging thought in his head, an "insistor".
i guess mickey is someone who's protective of kelly and he's warning the guy not to touch her or he'll stab him with his razor or do something equally painful to him. and i might be wrong but if the lyrics about "kelly hold your water" is literal, then maybe she's also pregnant and he's insisting that he wants to raise the baby with her but since she refuses, he's wondering who the man who has won her heart and reversed his fate with her.
what an amazing song - the rhythm guitar part is astounding even in its simplicity