"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.
Charlotta making lasagna
With Mia above the clouds
Charlotta making lasagna
With Mia above the clouds
But you could have waited
You could have locked yourself up
For ten years or so
And when you finally came out
There would still be no chances for you
Charlotta running around with Felicia
Charlotta running around with Felicia
But you could have waited
You could have locked yourself up
For ten years or so
And when you finally came out
There would still be no chances for you
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
You did full sky by car
And leaving town for a while
You are a yellow surprise
No distant water is friendly sometimes
But you could have waited
You could have locked yourself up
For ten years or so
And when you finally came out
There would still be no chances for you
But you could have waited (waited)
But you could have waited (waited)
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
Waited
Waited
Waited
With Mia above the clouds
Charlotta making lasagna
With Mia above the clouds
But you could have waited
You could have locked yourself up
For ten years or so
And when you finally came out
There would still be no chances for you
Charlotta running around with Felicia
Charlotta running around with Felicia
But you could have waited
You could have locked yourself up
For ten years or so
And when you finally came out
There would still be no chances for you
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
You did full sky by car
And leaving town for a while
You are a yellow surprise
No distant water is friendly sometimes
But you could have waited
You could have locked yourself up
For ten years or so
And when you finally came out
There would still be no chances for you
But you could have waited (waited)
But you could have waited (waited)
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
I look for looks and I search for breaths
Sneaking
Thinking about death
Waited
Waited
Waited
Lyrics submitted by sha_sha, edited by Mellow_Harsher, casiopt1
Lasagna Lyrics as written by Olof Bjorn Dreijer Karin Elizabeth Dreijer Andersson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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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,
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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/
Punchline
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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.
There is a mistake in the lyrics in the chorus; it really goes "..and when you finally came out there would still be NEW chances for you"
This song is a dedication for a person that made a crime and commited suicide.
The chorus is the singer's critique of the act of the person; the person could have gone to prison [in 10 years or so..] and come out with new chances.
In verse 3 we learn that the person commited suicide by drowning ["noticing water is friendly sometimes"]. "Yellow surprise" is a reference to the meaning of yellow as the color of cowardness.