"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.
Compassion is broken now
My will is eroded now
Desire is broken now
It makes me feel ugly
On my knees and burning
My piss and moans are fuel and,
I set my head on fire
Smell my soul is burning
I'm broken
Looking up to see the enemy
And I've swallowed the poison you're feeding me,
But I survive on the poison you're feeding me
Leaving while you're
Guilt, fed
Hatred, fed
Weakness, fed
It makes me feel ugly
On my knees and burning
My piss and moans are fuel and,
I set my head on fire
Dead inside
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds up at the bottom
If I let you, you would make me destroy myself.
In order to survive you, I must first survive myself.
And I can sink no further, and I cannot forgive you.
There's no choice but to confront you, to engage you, to erase you.
I've gone to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain.
I'll use my mistakes against you.
There's no other choice.
Shameless now, nameless now, nothing now, no one now.
But my soul must be iron.
'Cause my fear is naked.
I'm naked and fearless.
And my fear is naked
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Nameless now
Shameless now
Nothing now
No one now
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds as you see me,
Naked now
Fearless now
Naked now
Fearless now
Shit adds up it leaves me,
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Hatred keeps me alive,
How could this keep me alive?
Weakness keeps me alive
Guilt keeps me alive at the bottom
My will is eroded now
Desire is broken now
It makes me feel ugly
On my knees and burning
My piss and moans are fuel and,
I set my head on fire
Smell my soul is burning
I'm broken
Looking up to see the enemy
And I've swallowed the poison you're feeding me,
But I survive on the poison you're feeding me
Leaving while you're
Guilt, fed
Hatred, fed
Weakness, fed
It makes me feel ugly
On my knees and burning
My piss and moans are fuel and,
I set my head on fire
Dead inside
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds up at the bottom
If I let you, you would make me destroy myself.
In order to survive you, I must first survive myself.
And I can sink no further, and I cannot forgive you.
There's no choice but to confront you, to engage you, to erase you.
I've gone to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain.
I'll use my mistakes against you.
There's no other choice.
Shameless now, nameless now, nothing now, no one now.
But my soul must be iron.
'Cause my fear is naked.
I'm naked and fearless.
And my fear is naked
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Nameless now
Shameless now
Nothing now
No one now
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds up
Shit adds as you see me,
Naked now
Fearless now
Naked now
Fearless now
Shit adds up it leaves me,
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Dead inside
Hatred keeps me alive,
How could this keep me alive?
Weakness keeps me alive
Guilt keeps me alive at the bottom
Lyrics submitted by homicidal_loser x, edited by Mellow_Harsher, CasROCK96
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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"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
This song is about facing the fear within yourself and removing it. The bottom is where you face your own demons. These are the emotions mentioned in the song about hatred, weakness, ugliness, guilt. When confronting these things you find a dark side of yourself, the fearful self. When you remove fear from yourself, you are no longer afraid of yourself, and therefore you step into your full individuality, you finally become who you are.
The song sounds dark because of the harsh metal sound, but this only portrays the struggle and frustration, the lyrics also sound harsh but their message is about strengthening your mind and freeing yourself from fear of yourself.
In summary, the whole reason the world is fucked up is because people are afraid of themselves. They may believe they are afraid of other things, but they are actually afraid of themselves because they don't know how to deal with the things they fear, thus they fear themselves, not other things. When one recognizes their fearful self and eliminate it they become whole and alive, and they become good and strong. The lyrics "naked now, fearless now, nothing now" represent this new becoming. All the bad emotions stemming from the fear are removed, and now there is nothing in the way, and the self which was repressed is bearing itself as a new or 'naked' being. When Maynard says "shit adds up at the bottom" he means that when one goes to the center of themselves, the part of themselves that is not afraid and pure and happy, you see all the outer layers you have added on to your consciousness, bot the good and the bad, therefore it 'adds up'. You see all of it, and destroy the ones associated with fear and you become new and naked and yourself. Pretty awesome stuff.
To elaborate on some more interesting lyrics: Near the end Maynard talks about being how his fear is naked, because he sees himself and recognizes all of his consciousness, therefore his fear is naked. He eliminates it. When he says at the end that it leaves him 'dead inside', he means that all the fearful energy is gone and dead, and that all the hatred, weakness, ugliness and guilt have kept him alive because he can recognize it and eliminate it by seeing it from 'the bottom' or the core of his consciousness and being.
The lyrics are wrong, you have the demo spoken word as well as the CD Version, you should take out the first spoken word part.
The song is about 'hitting bottom'. A classic term used when a drug and/or alcohol addict has been defeated by his/her addiction and has a 'moment of clarity' where they get the resolve to deal with their problems instead of going back to active addiction. The song is being sung from the perspective of the addict to the addiction. Anyways as far as I'm concerned the song is spot on, it paints a very accurate picture of what addiction and getting clean are all about, I love this song, album, band. Peace...
Being a recovering alcoholic (6+ years sober now) I often found myself coming back to listen to this song for a morale boost. One of the main keys to sobriety is confronting your inner demons..your past mistakes, etc. Accepting them, putting them behind you, and continue on moving forward in life. Pretty much what I believe the lyrics cover pretty well..
This is a song I have always loved and respected. To mean it symbolizes I person who has hit the bottom and is talking to their self. Letting them know that all they can do from here is work from their mistakes and build from them. From decay comes growth only if you allow it. That they must actively make a change in order to move on and grow.
songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858488830/ Gravity by APC links up with it.
As does Prison Sex
I don't think this is so much about drugs and alcohol as it is about coming out of the bottom in general. And I think, per Maynard's personal life situations growing up, that this song is another release of emotions on that aspect of his childhood.
Unlike with Prison Sex, Bottom is not nearly as descriptive on meaning/association with the song, but the vague nature of the song allows it to be applied to anything his fans may be feeling or dealing with. I guess what I mean is I think that he is releasing his own emotions from his past, but leaves it open and vague that his fans can do the same but apply it directly to their situation.
I love listening to Prison Sex, Bottom, then Gravity (in that order). The way the songs sync up in my mind..... It flows from initial recognition, beginning movements to come out, and then full push out of the bottom.
Maynard James Keenan is hypnotic with his voices and inviting with his words. TOOL's band members create the most tantalizing and intriguing music to push the lyrics out in the perfect tone.
Maynard could fart and some people would think it was genius.
Great catch dude, with the link between Bottom and Gravity!
I pulled these off my youtube post. Figured to put it on here
Life keep throwing these issues into my face with nothing I can do. I have mental and emotional instabilities. All I can do is try. No matter how hard I try to go on, everything crushes down. You have to fight back against that stream. The current of life. Eventually it overwhelms you and shoves you into that pit. You try to fight back and claw your way from the bottom but shit keeps adding up and pushing you in . I can't stand life this way anymore but Tool has helped me hold on.
JermZzZz1 2 days ago 3
start at 3:10
If you let life, it will destroy you.
You must figure out who you are to survive life
The bottom rises quickly The hardships and mistakes of life cannot be forgiven
Dry those fucking tears and stand up. Figure out what you did wrong Bury your problems deep within
You've already been through the worst. You are stronger
Throw your mistakes back at life Nothing else you can do
Don't bare guilt You are nothing No one cares
Expose the fear you live in face it and overcome it
I'm dead inside
JermZzZz1 1 day ago 2
Thanks for putting these up, mate. People were getting a little too confused over the demo version lyrics.
I don't know what this songs about all I know is it's goddamn fantastic.
It's about just life in general and how it breaks you. We all reach the bottom in different ways but every human being makes his home there in the end. A person's upbringing, his personality faults and deficiencies, physical appearance, once you become an adult you're immersed in the game. The game of who can top who and who has the most toys and when you figure out it's a game with a dead end you're looked down upon. You've hit the bottom unwillingly but you seek comfort in it and let the rest of the world go about their petty nonsense. You grasp onto the things you love and the things that make you want to live but you always want to climb and claw your way back to the top because it's all programming. The song is saying you can embrace the bottom or you can fight your way out but you'll end up back in the same place.
MJK: either screaming or whispering :D
I GOT THIS VERSION ON THE "Undertow" ALBUM!!! IT ROCKS!! WHOOO!!!
The song about overcoming heroine addiction :/ the spoken part is very well written.