"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.
This one way love affair ain't fair, it ain't fair to me
It's all give and take and you just take
I can't take it you see
Well, I'm givin' up on love this time
Me and my friends, we'll do just fine
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
You said someday I'd have a whole lotta money,
I'd be a millionaire
But when that didn't happen over night
I found out how much you really cared
Well, all you want is a whole lotta money
All the rest is just jivin' honey
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
Well, I'm going out on the town tonight
And get as wild as I can be
I'm gonna find out what it's really like to be lose, high and free
Well, I don't care what the people say
I'm changin' my mind, I'm changin' to stay
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
You've done nothing for me
You've done nothing
You've done nothing
You've done nothing for me
It's all give and take and you just take
I can't take it you see
Well, I'm givin' up on love this time
Me and my friends, we'll do just fine
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
You said someday I'd have a whole lotta money,
I'd be a millionaire
But when that didn't happen over night
I found out how much you really cared
Well, all you want is a whole lotta money
All the rest is just jivin' honey
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
Well, I'm going out on the town tonight
And get as wild as I can be
I'm gonna find out what it's really like to be lose, high and free
Well, I don't care what the people say
I'm changin' my mind, I'm changin' to stay
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
You've done nothing for me
You've done nothing
You've done nothing
You've done nothing for me
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
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Sammy Hagar wrote this song. The chorus pretty much says what its about.