"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.
Don't tell my sister about your most recent vision.
Don't tell my family they're all wicked-strict Christian.
Don't tell the hangers-on, don't tell your friends.
Don't tell them we went down to Ybor City, again.
Don't tell the dancers, they'll just get distracted.
Don't tell the DJs. They already suspect us.
Don't mention the bloodshed, don't mention the scams.
Don't tell them Ybor City almost killed us, again.
We are the theater, they are the people dressed up to be seated,
Lookin' upwards and dreamin'. We're the projectors.
We're hosting the screening.
We're dust in the spotlights, we're just kinda floating.
Don't drop little hints. I don't want them to guess.
Don't mention Tampa, they'll just know all the rest.
Don't mention bloodshed, don't tell them it hurts.
Don't say we saw angels, they'll take us straight to the church.
They queue up for tickets to see the performance, they push to get closer,
Lookin' upwards with wonder. We are the actors.
The cameras are rollin'.
I'll be Ben Gazzara, you'll be Gena Rowlands.
Sometimes, actresses get slapped.
Sometimes, actresses get slapped.
Sometimes, fake fights turn out bad.
Sometimes, actresses get slapped.
Some nights, makin' it look real might end up with someone hurt.
Some nights, it's just entertainment, and, some other nights, it's real.
They come in for the beating, to see the stadium seating.
They're holding their hands out for the body and blood, now.
We're the directors, our hands will hold steady.
I'll be John Cassavettes, let me know when you're ready.
Man, we make our own movies. Man, we make our own movies.
Man, we make our own movies. Man, we make our own movies.
Don't tell my family they're all wicked-strict Christian.
Don't tell the hangers-on, don't tell your friends.
Don't tell them we went down to Ybor City, again.
Don't tell the dancers, they'll just get distracted.
Don't tell the DJs. They already suspect us.
Don't mention the bloodshed, don't mention the scams.
Don't tell them Ybor City almost killed us, again.
We are the theater, they are the people dressed up to be seated,
Lookin' upwards and dreamin'. We're the projectors.
We're hosting the screening.
We're dust in the spotlights, we're just kinda floating.
Don't drop little hints. I don't want them to guess.
Don't mention Tampa, they'll just know all the rest.
Don't mention bloodshed, don't tell them it hurts.
Don't say we saw angels, they'll take us straight to the church.
They queue up for tickets to see the performance, they push to get closer,
Lookin' upwards with wonder. We are the actors.
The cameras are rollin'.
I'll be Ben Gazzara, you'll be Gena Rowlands.
Sometimes, actresses get slapped.
Sometimes, actresses get slapped.
Sometimes, fake fights turn out bad.
Sometimes, actresses get slapped.
Some nights, makin' it look real might end up with someone hurt.
Some nights, it's just entertainment, and, some other nights, it's real.
They come in for the beating, to see the stadium seating.
They're holding their hands out for the body and blood, now.
We're the directors, our hands will hold steady.
I'll be John Cassavettes, let me know when you're ready.
Man, we make our own movies. Man, we make our own movies.
Man, we make our own movies. Man, we make our own movies.
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
wait i think i figured it out. Ben Gazzara and Gena Rowlands were in Opening Night also starring and directed by John Cassavettes. The film is about an girl who dies trying to meet her favorite actress (played by Gena Rowlands) and the actress' downward spiral when she thinks it is her fault. John Cassavettes is most well known for starting the independent film revolution i.e. we make our own movies.
also, i looked up the whole 'opening night' thing (thanks allofmylove68) and it explains the main idea of the song as well as the title.
"Myrtle (Gena Rowlands) goes on to tell Manny (Ben Gazzara) she is very worried about the slap that is to be delivered by Maurice (John Cassavetes) during the play. Manny raises his voice and tells her succinctly, "It's a tradition. Actresses get slapped. It's mandatory you get hit." His use of the term "slap" in this context means that actresses must make themselves vulnerable in their profession, and be "hit" by the reality of love, aging, mortality, beauty, etc., on a level apart from their stage roles. That one sentence "it's mandatory you get hit" sums up the crux of Myrtle's dilemma, and serves as the catalyst for her fight to avoid being "hit" by reality. -johncassavetes.net/
this is my favorite song off the new cd. the lyrics are
I'll Be Ben Gazzara You'll Be Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands is John Cassavettes wife as well as an actor, Ben Gazzara is also an actor but im not sure how he fits in.
yeah this song is sweet. probably second favorite for me after constructive summer
Just a small correction:
I'm 99% sure it's "We're dust in the spotlights" as opposed to "dusting".
My favorite song on the album. Very "meta".
Small correction also: Some nights it's just entertainment/and some other nights it's work.
Definitely one of the album's top three. Almost as good of an album ender as Separation Sunday's.
Something I thought was funny, he pronounces her name like "Gina" when i'm PRETTY sure it's pronounced like "Jenna."
I think "skins" in the second stanza should be capitalized, as it's probably a (sneaky) reference to the Cityscape Skins, Gideon's gang.
I need to know what this amazing song is about!
Long story long - It's the aftermath of the entire Separation Sunday/Charlemagne "murder" story.<br /> <br /> Craig Finn intentionally left out all of the proper names for his characters on "Stay Positive", but it's the same overall story -- <br /> <br /> Charlemagne is a small-time dealer who owes 7 grand to the Cityscape Skins, which is Gideon's former gang. <br /> <br /> Holly and Charlemagne hook up, and then break up, because that night that she got born again, he was getting with her little hoodrat friend.<br /> <br /> That friend is Mary/Sapphire, who has the visions of the future. At first, those visions come in handy for betting on the ponies ("Chips Ahoy").<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Holly falls in with Gideon ("I heard Gideon did you in Denver.")<br /> <br /> At first, Holly doesn't say where Charlemagne is hiding out -- (if they ask, "just be polite, say something vague.") But at some point, out of jealousy or drug-fueled weakness, she probably tips off Gideon's friends, and the trap is set.<br /> <br /> Throughout Stay Positive, we alternately hear about 1 or 2 townies getting killed in the woods. In "Both Crosses" and "Yeah Sapphire", we learn that Mary has been having visions of Charlemagne's murder. ("She saw the footage right before it got cut/she saw 'em stick a body in a bag in the trunk/she saw the guys comin in from the sides/baby that's how we get sanctified".) Charlemagne doesn't even blame Holly - saying "hey, I still love you, Judas."<br /> <br /> Anyway, based on "Slapped Actress" and visions came in handy, and it's hinted that while Charlemagne got stabbed, he doesn't get killed after all. He's back to hiding out in Ybor City, where the story all began. <br /> <br /> The first verses are Holly or Gideon saying -- don't tell anyone anything about Ybor City and Charlemagne. Don't even mention Tampa. Don't mention bloodshed. Don't mention the Skins. Don't say you saw "angels" -- they'll take you straight to the church. <br /> <br /> The second half of the song is more generalized -- Craig Finn using the film "Opening Night" and some Shakespeare "All the World's a Stage"-esque lyrics to address the larger themes or life and making your own destiny, with a little religious imagery crossed with rock-n-roll imagery and the phrase "Hold Steady" thrown in for fun.
Absolute brilliance. The swan song band of Generation X..... I dost love thee, Craig Finn....