"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.
Louis Collins took a trip out west
When he returned, little Delia had gone to rest
The angels laid her away
Louis said to Delia
"That's the sad thing with life,
There's people always leavin' just as other folks arrive"
The angels laid her away
When the people heard Delia was dead
All of them gentlemen they dressed in red
The angels laid her away
Angels laid her away
Laid her six feet under the clay
The angels laid her away
Louis went downtown for a new suit of clothes
He's gonna dress up for Delia like a fine red rose
The angels laid him away
He brought a ten-gallon Stetson
It was ox blood red
Stacker Lee shot Louis in the back of the head
The angels laid him away
Oh Stacker Lee said to Louis,
'Oh now don't you grieve. I'm sending you to Delia, you won't ever have to leave.'
The angels laid him away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well the judge was a mean one
His name was Hangin' Billy Lyons
He said "You've always been a bad man, Stack, you gonna hang this time.
The angels lay you away."
And the jailer said to Stacker Lee 'What's the problem with you?"
'Aw jailer, Louis Collins' ghost brought Delia's with him, too."
The angels laid them away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well they buried little Delia
In the church yard deep
With Louis Collins at her head
Stacker Lee at her feet
The angels laid them away
And out of Delia's bed came briars
Out of Louis's bed a rose
Out of Stacker Lee's came Stacker Lee's cold lonely little ghost
Angels laid them away
And I'm looking over rooftops
And I'm hoping that it ain't true
That the same God looks out for them Looks out for me and you
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
When he returned, little Delia had gone to rest
The angels laid her away
Louis said to Delia
"That's the sad thing with life,
There's people always leavin' just as other folks arrive"
The angels laid her away
When the people heard Delia was dead
All of them gentlemen they dressed in red
The angels laid her away
Angels laid her away
Laid her six feet under the clay
The angels laid her away
Louis went downtown for a new suit of clothes
He's gonna dress up for Delia like a fine red rose
The angels laid him away
He brought a ten-gallon Stetson
It was ox blood red
Stacker Lee shot Louis in the back of the head
The angels laid him away
Oh Stacker Lee said to Louis,
'Oh now don't you grieve. I'm sending you to Delia, you won't ever have to leave.'
The angels laid him away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well the judge was a mean one
His name was Hangin' Billy Lyons
He said "You've always been a bad man, Stack, you gonna hang this time.
The angels lay you away."
And the jailer said to Stacker Lee 'What's the problem with you?"
'Aw jailer, Louis Collins' ghost brought Delia's with him, too."
The angels laid them away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well they buried little Delia
In the church yard deep
With Louis Collins at her head
Stacker Lee at her feet
The angels laid them away
And out of Delia's bed came briars
Out of Louis's bed a rose
Out of Stacker Lee's came Stacker Lee's cold lonely little ghost
Angels laid them away
And I'm looking over rooftops
And I'm hoping that it ain't true
That the same God looks out for them Looks out for me and you
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
Lyrics submitted by SkylinePigeon
Folk Bloodbath Lyrics as written by Joshua Ritter
Lyrics © DUCHAMP, INC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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
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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.
No Surprises
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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.
the line "i'm looking over rooftops and i'm hoping that it ain't true" is from peter killed the dragon.