"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 try so hard to be different
The cracks are beginning to show
You drift like a cloud through the festival crowd
In a frock coat from Seville row
You've just been to a all night party
Where I have to admit it takes pluck
To go out on the floor and proclaim, ?What a bore?
In a T-shirt that reads, 'Disco Sucks'
Yes, here he comes, the not so young
Pretender to the throne
He's singing rag, momma, rag
Won't you give that poor dog a bone?
And he's wondering why we can't connect
When he's sworn to us that he's totally wretch
On the rustic charm that he affects
On a public schoolboy whim
With a raggle taggle plastic gypsy
Robert Zimmerframe
With a synthesized accordion
A scramblin' up my brain
With a fiddle dee dee, a fiddle on high
Excuse me folks while I kiss the sky
Or at any rate give it one more try
Before I die, before I die
The overrated hit the stage
Overpaid and over here
And their idea of counter culture's
Momma's charge account at sears
And they're wondering why we can't connect
With the ritual of the trashed guitar
One more paltry empty gesture
The ashes of a burned out star
Yes, here they come, both old and young
A contact low or high
The gathering of the tribes descending
Vultures from a caustic sky
The rotting carcase of July
And ugly sun hung out to dry
Your gorgeous hippy dreams are dying
Your frazzled brains are putrefying
Repackaged, sold and sanitized
The devil's music exorcised
You live, you die, you lie, you lie, you die
Perpetuate the lie, perpetuate the lie,
Perpetuate the lie, just to perpetuate the lie
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
The cracks are beginning to show
You drift like a cloud through the festival crowd
In a frock coat from Seville row
You've just been to a all night party
Where I have to admit it takes pluck
To go out on the floor and proclaim, ?What a bore?
In a T-shirt that reads, 'Disco Sucks'
Yes, here he comes, the not so young
Pretender to the throne
He's singing rag, momma, rag
Won't you give that poor dog a bone?
And he's wondering why we can't connect
When he's sworn to us that he's totally wretch
On the rustic charm that he affects
On a public schoolboy whim
With a raggle taggle plastic gypsy
Robert Zimmerframe
With a synthesized accordion
A scramblin' up my brain
With a fiddle dee dee, a fiddle on high
Excuse me folks while I kiss the sky
Or at any rate give it one more try
Before I die, before I die
The overrated hit the stage
Overpaid and over here
And their idea of counter culture's
Momma's charge account at sears
And they're wondering why we can't connect
With the ritual of the trashed guitar
One more paltry empty gesture
The ashes of a burned out star
Yes, here they come, both old and young
A contact low or high
The gathering of the tribes descending
Vultures from a caustic sky
The rotting carcase of July
And ugly sun hung out to dry
Your gorgeous hippy dreams are dying
Your frazzled brains are putrefying
Repackaged, sold and sanitized
The devil's music exorcised
You live, you die, you lie, you lie, you die
Perpetuate the lie, perpetuate the lie,
Perpetuate the lie, just to perpetuate the lie
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, it's the summer festival
The truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
Truly detestable summer festival
Yes, yes, yes, summer festival
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Sounds like someone wasn't invited to play Lollapalooza....
Sounds like someone likes katy perry
as for the song, i think he is complaining about ass-wipes like the firsg commenter
I love Edwyn Collins and this song, although it's not the strongest track on Gorgeous George, an altogether excellent album. This song, the title track, and "Moron" are a sort of bitter trifecta of diatribes about the music industry and its current state. I would say the music is better in some of the more personal numbers like "South of Heaven" and "Subsidence".<br /> <br /> Regarding my first comment, it turns out I have a sense of humor, and I'm pretty sure Mr. Collins does, too. By all means, keep jumping to wrong conclusions, though, Cesar10954. It's amusing to watch.