"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.
I cry
But I can't buy your Veteran's Day poppy
It don't get me high
It can only make me cry
It can never grow another son
Like the one who warmed me
My days after rain, and warmed my breath
My life's blood
Screamin', empty, she cries
It don't get me high
It can only make me cry
Your Veteran Day poppy
But I can't buy your Veteran's Day poppy
It don't get me high
It can only make me cry
It can never grow another son
Like the one who warmed me
My days after rain, and warmed my breath
My life's blood
Screamin', empty, she cries
It don't get me high
It can only make me cry
Your Veteran Day poppy
Lyrics submitted by blackled222
Veteran's Day Poppy Lyrics as written by Don Van Vliet
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Dreamwalker
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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.
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
"High" is a metaphor. Beefheart is saying that he can't get any enjoyment out of the poppy-wearing rememberence details, and he is crying because it is glorifying war.
@fearpanic4 OK, but Beefheart's not the one crying. The song is in the third person, and the words are those of a dead soldier's mother. "Screamin', empty, she cries". Simple and straightforward lyric, for Beefheart.
Ahhh, another "drug song". I'm pretty sure this song is about a mother who has lost her son in a war (Vietnam) and can't bring herself to buy a Veteran's Day poppy because it can't do anything to mend the hole her son's death left.
It is a joke about Veteran's poppy vs opium poppy. Veteran's day poppy seems to be a tradition in California (I'm French, forgive me if I'm wrong about this). Pretty cool song for closing Trout Mask Replica double album.
I wonder if it is a more serious song about a mother who lost her son in the war?<br /> <br /> Anyway, my favorite off the record.
Why is this a drug song? I agree with the rest of mgetz's interpretation, but I think the drug reference is just superficial. The character is just saying, 'this poppy doesn't make me feel any better. I ought to buy a poppy but I can't, because it hurts me to think of the significance of it.'
A none-too-veiled condemnation of the drug-addled '60s? Seems that to me.