"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.
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, we all go to hell
I'm writing this letter and wishing you well
Mama, we all go to hell
Oh well now, Mama, we're all gonna die
Mama, we're all gonna die
Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry
Mama, we're all gonna die
And when we go don't blame us, yeah
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
You made us oh so famous
We'll never let you go
And when you go don't return to me my love
Mama, we're all full of lies
Mama, we're meant for the flies
And right now they're building a coffin your size
Mama, we're all full of lies
Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue
You should have raised a baby girl
I should've been a better son
If you could coddle the infection
They can amputate at once
You should've been
I could have been a better son
And when we go don't blame us, yeah
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
You made us oh so famous
We'll never let you go
She said,you ain't no son of mine
For what you've done they're
Gonna find a place for you
And just you mind your manners when you go
And when you go don't return to me my love
That's right
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, we all go to hell
It's really quite pleasant except for the smell
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, mama, mama, ohh
Mama, mama, mama, ohh
And if you would call me your sweetheart
I'd maybe then sing you a song
But there's shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun
You would cry out your eyes all along
We're damned after all
Through fortune and fame we fall
And if you can stay then I'll show you the way
To return from the ashes you call
We all carry on
When our brothers in arms are gone
So raise your glass high for tomorrow we die
And return from the ashes you call
Mama, we all go to hell
I'm writing this letter and wishing you well
Mama, we all go to hell
Oh well now, Mama, we're all gonna die
Mama, we're all gonna die
Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry
Mama, we're all gonna die
And when we go don't blame us, yeah
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
You made us oh so famous
We'll never let you go
And when you go don't return to me my love
Mama, we're all full of lies
Mama, we're meant for the flies
And right now they're building a coffin your size
Mama, we're all full of lies
Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue
You should have raised a baby girl
I should've been a better son
If you could coddle the infection
They can amputate at once
You should've been
I could have been a better son
And when we go don't blame us, yeah
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
You made us oh so famous
We'll never let you go
She said,you ain't no son of mine
For what you've done they're
Gonna find a place for you
And just you mind your manners when you go
And when you go don't return to me my love
That's right
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, we all go to hell
It's really quite pleasant except for the smell
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, mama, mama, ohh
Mama, mama, mama, ohh
And if you would call me your sweetheart
I'd maybe then sing you a song
But there's shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun
You would cry out your eyes all along
We're damned after all
Through fortune and fame we fall
And if you can stay then I'll show you the way
To return from the ashes you call
We all carry on
When our brothers in arms are gone
So raise your glass high for tomorrow we die
And return from the ashes you call
Lyrics submitted by AbsolutionAgent_gMs, edited by SmashingDestiny
Mama Lyrics as written by Frank Iero Bob Bryar
Lyrics © BLOW THE DOORS OFF CHICAGO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Lord Huron
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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/
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 always thought about war in general whenever I heard this song, but recently I watched a movie called "Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny" and I noticed that in it Rasputin repeatedly calls Tsarina Alexandra "Mama." During the part where he tells her that millions will die in rivers of blood (referring to World War I) I just thought to myself "Mama, we all go to hell." And then I listened to the song again and it fit the movie reeaaaaally well. I dunno if MCR actually wrote it with World War I/The Russian Revolution in mind, but that's what I'm going to think of when I hear it from now on.