"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.
(Uh, The Runners presents)
(Damage)
You know (woah, woah)
Sometimes you don't realize what you've done
Until you've seen the damage
And now I look at the damage
Yeah, woah, yeah, yeah, woah, yeah
(Look at the damage)
3 A.M. when my phone ring, begging me to come by
I was right around the corner (corner)
I know I could've said no, but I ain't stop
Told me, "Come in, the door is unlocked for ya"
My intuition, I should, have listened to it
My girl, yo, she'd be pissed if she knew about this visit (visit)
She had her tank top on, I took her tank top off
I should've stopped
Stop (stop, stop, stop, stop, stop)
But she ain't let me, kissed me soft and gently
She tempt me
Right then I stopped thinking consequences (consequences)
Guess I must've lost my mind for a minute
Girl you know that I love
Girl, I love you, with her that was lust, yeah
Shouldn't have happened, I know I messed up, yeah yeah
One phone call started this whole thing
Now, look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage (the damage)
The damage
Damage that I've caused you (that I've caused you)
Know I broke your heart
'Cause I did you wrong
Now look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage that I've caused
The dumbest decision that I made that I ain't proud of
A few hours that meant absolutely nothing cost me your love
I gotta live with regret
Deserve to get what you give
Now you won't listen to nothing that I'm saying (woah, woah-ooh)
I rode past your house for hours
Just to feel close to ya
No card, no gift, no flowers
Could get me back with you
Your kiss, your touch
Girl, you know I miss it (hey, hey)
But you got my heart inside of a prison
Girl you know that I love
Girl, I love you, with her that was lust, yeah
Shouldn't have happened, I know I messed up, yeah yeah
One phone call started this whole thing
Now, look at the damage (hey)
Look at the damage (I see the damage that I've caused you girl)
The damage
Damage that I've caused you
Know I broke your heart (I know that I broke your heart)
'Cause I did you wrong
Now look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage that I've caused
I was trippin' (ooh)
I was dippin' (ooh)
With these women (ooh)
In these streets, yeah (ooh)
Lost my girl, yeah
Lost all that, yeah
Wish I could (ooh)
Take it back
I was trippin' (hey)
I was dippin' (ho)
With these women (ho)
In these streets (yeah)
Wish I could (oh)
Take that back
Girl you know that I love
Girl, I love you, with her that was lust, yeah
Shouldn't have happened, I know I messed up, yeah yeah
One phone call started this whole thing
Now, look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage (The damage that I)
The damage (oh)
Damage that I've caused you (that I've caused you)
Know I broke your heart (yeah, hey)
And girl I did you wrong
Now look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage that I've caused
(Yeah, woah)
(Look at the damage)
(Look at the damage, yeah yeah)
You know
Sometimes you don't realize what you've done
Until you've seen the damage
And now, look at the damage
(Damage)
You know (woah, woah)
Sometimes you don't realize what you've done
Until you've seen the damage
And now I look at the damage
Yeah, woah, yeah, yeah, woah, yeah
(Look at the damage)
3 A.M. when my phone ring, begging me to come by
I was right around the corner (corner)
I know I could've said no, but I ain't stop
Told me, "Come in, the door is unlocked for ya"
My intuition, I should, have listened to it
My girl, yo, she'd be pissed if she knew about this visit (visit)
She had her tank top on, I took her tank top off
I should've stopped
Stop (stop, stop, stop, stop, stop)
But she ain't let me, kissed me soft and gently
She tempt me
Right then I stopped thinking consequences (consequences)
Guess I must've lost my mind for a minute
Girl you know that I love
Girl, I love you, with her that was lust, yeah
Shouldn't have happened, I know I messed up, yeah yeah
One phone call started this whole thing
Now, look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage (the damage)
The damage
Damage that I've caused you (that I've caused you)
Know I broke your heart
'Cause I did you wrong
Now look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage that I've caused
The dumbest decision that I made that I ain't proud of
A few hours that meant absolutely nothing cost me your love
I gotta live with regret
Deserve to get what you give
Now you won't listen to nothing that I'm saying (woah, woah-ooh)
I rode past your house for hours
Just to feel close to ya
No card, no gift, no flowers
Could get me back with you
Your kiss, your touch
Girl, you know I miss it (hey, hey)
But you got my heart inside of a prison
Girl you know that I love
Girl, I love you, with her that was lust, yeah
Shouldn't have happened, I know I messed up, yeah yeah
One phone call started this whole thing
Now, look at the damage (hey)
Look at the damage (I see the damage that I've caused you girl)
The damage
Damage that I've caused you
Know I broke your heart (I know that I broke your heart)
'Cause I did you wrong
Now look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage that I've caused
I was trippin' (ooh)
I was dippin' (ooh)
With these women (ooh)
In these streets, yeah (ooh)
Lost my girl, yeah
Lost all that, yeah
Wish I could (ooh)
Take it back
I was trippin' (hey)
I was dippin' (ho)
With these women (ho)
In these streets (yeah)
Wish I could (oh)
Take that back
Girl you know that I love
Girl, I love you, with her that was lust, yeah
Shouldn't have happened, I know I messed up, yeah yeah
One phone call started this whole thing
Now, look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage (The damage that I)
The damage (oh)
Damage that I've caused you (that I've caused you)
Know I broke your heart (yeah, hey)
And girl I did you wrong
Now look at the damage (the damage)
Look at the damage that I've caused
(Yeah, woah)
(Look at the damage)
(Look at the damage, yeah yeah)
You know
Sometimes you don't realize what you've done
Until you've seen the damage
And now, look at the damage
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
I agree with cblover with the meaning. i abolutely love the bit which says: I was trippin', I was dippin', with these women, in these streets. Lost my girl, lost out there. Wish I could take it back