"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.
Electric windmill skyline
The cracking soil beneath my feet
It's pearls drenched with lust
This empty bed, the sweat soaked sheets
It's like they empty out the ocean
Bodies mending this scorched earth
It's like they empty out the ocean
Bodies mending this scorched earth
So call me on your long walks home
Where drunken voices bleed into one
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
I will to you the smell of burning leaves
Rusted windchimes and the feverish glow of fireflies
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
So call me on your long walks home
Where drunken voices bleed into one
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
We awoke on your cluttered bed
To the schoolchildren below
Our teeming hearts
Habitual words are effortlessly flung
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
(Call me on your long walks home
Where drunken voices bleed into one)
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
Stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
Stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
The cracking soil beneath my feet
It's pearls drenched with lust
This empty bed, the sweat soaked sheets
It's like they empty out the ocean
Bodies mending this scorched earth
It's like they empty out the ocean
Bodies mending this scorched earth
So call me on your long walks home
Where drunken voices bleed into one
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
I will to you the smell of burning leaves
Rusted windchimes and the feverish glow of fireflies
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
So call me on your long walks home
Where drunken voices bleed into one
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
We awoke on your cluttered bed
To the schoolchildren below
Our teeming hearts
Habitual words are effortlessly flung
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
We were such terrible liars
We were such passionate lovers
(Call me on your long walks home
Where drunken voices bleed into one)
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
Stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
Stay where you are
If you're not in love, stay where you are
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Fast Car
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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 the chorus is more of a message to anyone listening, telling them not to get into this situation.
yeah i agree with eltroy, he seems to be writing about his failed marriage here and the chorus is definitely a message to the listeners. The whole terrible liar and passionate lover thing is more than likely him talking to his ex wife.
The more i listened to this song was more like a question. "Habitual words are effortlessly false" like he wants her to move in with him and if her feelings don't match his then she should just stay where she is at her place hence the long walks home...
i think this girl is cheating on him. she calls to tell him she won't be home where she's drunk and going home with someone else. and when he says "if you're not in love, stay where you are," he only wants her back if she truly wants him. he doesn't want to waste time and love on someone who doesn't love him back. i love at the end when he repeats over and over "we were such terrible liars, we were such passionate lovers." oh how the heart and head conflict
From my personal experiences, I see this song as being with he is with a girl that is cheating on a current boyfriend with him. He wants her to leave her boyfriend for him, but only if she loves him and not just for the hell of it (hence the 'If you're not in love stay where you are'). Also, it could be that everyone around them except her boyfriend knows simply from the way they act together (We were such terrible liars, we were such passionate lovers). I can easily see it being the other way around too, this is just the way that I see it relating to me.
its about two people that used to care for each other. having unemotional cdrunk casual sex.
they used to care for each other, they dont anymore. they just say they do just so they wont feel bad about getting it on.
so he makes sure she doesnt have any real feelings for him ("if youre not in love..") once he knows that shs's not in lvoe, he feels ok to pick her up ("stay where you are") and get his freaky deaky on.
TBH, i think pretty much the opposite. 'if you're not in love, stay where you are...' Not do do anything if she doesn't love him. something like that