"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 took a stroll down a primrose lane
On a clear blue day
Everything seemed so perfectly placed
Daisies lined each manicured lawn
Well-groomed men walked well-groomed dogs
Stopped in a bar for a mid-day drink
In search of a scene more inspiring
Chewed off the cap to my ball-point pen
Thinking, "Happen . . . Something happen . . ."
When everything's in order
Is that what you write about?
When there's nothing much new, there's not much to say
When there's not much to say, I got everything to lose
It occured to me no news is bad news
When you're trying to spark that fuse
When you want to sing them blues
You're waiting around for water to boil
For the fire to lose control
But you can't heat up that kettle
You've got to leave the elements alone
It scares the shit out of me
When weathered writers lose their steam
I'm only getting older, and less interesting
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
I stumbled out of a back alley
On a blood-red dawn
The ramshackle block seemed trampled upon
Shattered glass shimmered on burnt cement
A stray dog ate from a black bean tin
Stopped in Eddy's for a pick-me-up
For leads on how the town got so fucked
Bought a Bloody Mary with a tired grin
Saying, "Too dramatic . . . try again . . ."
On a clear blue day
Everything seemed so perfectly placed
Daisies lined each manicured lawn
Well-groomed men walked well-groomed dogs
Stopped in a bar for a mid-day drink
In search of a scene more inspiring
Chewed off the cap to my ball-point pen
Thinking, "Happen . . . Something happen . . ."
When everything's in order
Is that what you write about?
When there's nothing much new, there's not much to say
When there's not much to say, I got everything to lose
It occured to me no news is bad news
When you're trying to spark that fuse
When you want to sing them blues
You're waiting around for water to boil
For the fire to lose control
But you can't heat up that kettle
You've got to leave the elements alone
It scares the shit out of me
When weathered writers lose their steam
I'm only getting older, and less interesting
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
You can't make this shit up
I stumbled out of a back alley
On a blood-red dawn
The ramshackle block seemed trampled upon
Shattered glass shimmered on burnt cement
A stray dog ate from a black bean tin
Stopped in Eddy's for a pick-me-up
For leads on how the town got so fucked
Bought a Bloody Mary with a tired grin
Saying, "Too dramatic . . . try again . . ."
Lyrics submitted by Ambulance X
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I think it's about how it's hard to write when everything is perfect and he feels he's losing his spark as he's getting older and has less angst and all that gritty youthful stuff.
He is saying how you can't force your self to write about nothing. He gives an example of what happens when you do so at the end and it ends up being malodramatic nothing. You can't force the water to boil by stirring shit up you have to be patient and just wait for that urge to write about something. In writing No News is really bad news.
oh and I'd also say this song sounds like it be fitted more toward a The Good Life song if not for the dual vocals.anyone else
Yeah, I think everyone here is on the right track. It actually kind of concerns me a little bit, since it is true that a lot of his new music is a lot less...introspective. It's a lot less personal. While it can still sound great, I'm finding that it's not nearly as emotionally charged as the last few albums, which is what I loved the band for.
Way_AE I completely agree. This new album is very very different from Cursive albums in the past. Musically, this album is very obviously different as far as the horns go and everything, but the biggest change in my opinion is the lyical direction that Tim has taken. One of the reasons I love Cursive and The Good Life so much is because of how personal the lyrics are. In Happy Hollow, Tim has gotten away from it, and I think the album suffers for it. Don't get me wrong, I do love this album. It's very very fresh and is one of my favorites, but for me it doens't come close to their older stuff. I guess I'll have to wait for the new The Good Life album for more personal songs from Tim
Does he have any personal songs left in him? This song makes it seem like he's exhausted every aspect of whatever it is he's been writing about since Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes.
Again, it's not bad. Just different.