"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.
I got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along
And by the poolside
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
Sometimes you give so many lifts, well
Sometimes you know you're going to have to, going to get a ride
I need to knock the ride, uh, oh oh
Ain't on your friends, all they'll say is no, you know your line and
You'll say, oh no, you know, you know, you know, you know you're right
I got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I, I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along
And by the poolside
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
And sung so many lifts
You know, know, know, know, know, know, know you're going to have to go and get a ride
Going to have to tell and get a ride
Have to go and get a ride
Going to have to, got to get a ride
Going to have to, got to get a ride
And if you go in the water
My family
I know my heart will dry over
And head, he needs to tell
I'm on the drone, low
Living it right and
I'm never anywhere
And I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never
(And now the water's right)
Oh no, I know
Oh no, oh no
What was almost
Oh no, I know, I know
No, I know, I know, what it was
You have hung on, I know, waterslide and
Hell to pay
Heaven is a collection agency
I feel heaven, heaven's a collection agency
Got the eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye upon the pavement
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along
And by the poolside
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
Sometimes you give so many lifts, well
Sometimes you know you're going to have to, going to get a ride
I need to knock the ride, uh, oh oh
Ain't on your friends, all they'll say is no, you know your line and
You'll say, oh no, you know, you know, you know, you know you're right
I got myself the means
I got myself what I call the beta carotene
Perspire from all the strings
I, I never had enough, enough to keep you stringing along
And by the poolside
I watch the summer and the thought of the last ends it, bye
And sung so many lifts
You know, know, know, know, know, know, know you're going to have to go and get a ride
Going to have to tell and get a ride
Have to go and get a ride
Going to have to, got to get a ride
Going to have to, got to get a ride
And if you go in the water
My family
I know my heart will dry over
And head, he needs to tell
I'm on the drone, low
Living it right and
I'm never anywhere
And I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know?
Oh no, I never
(And now the water's right)
Oh no, I know
Oh no, oh no
What was almost
Oh no, I know, I know
No, I know, I know, what it was
You have hung on, I know, waterslide and
Hell to pay
Heaven is a collection agency
I feel heaven, heaven's a collection agency
Got the eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye, eye upon the pavement
Lyrics submitted by GlitchTheVirus
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I had to post this version of beta carotene rather than have it just remain in the comment section for the former.
Truely an amazing stream of conciousness song from Isaac. I believe it's about all things end, and all things die, like summer. He also seems to hint at depersonalization, I wonder if he has it.
Hey, this was my interpretation of the lyrics! So you just changed the title? Now why didn't I think of that? :)
I'm pretty sure it's Despite of all the string, and not "perspire", simply because it makes a lot more sense with the saying and the context (stringing someone along...with string; so even though he had a lot of string, he couldn't string this person along).
Maybe.
This is the best thing I've ever heard. I just wish I knew what the hell it meant.
How do you put into words how much i love this song?
How do you put into words how much i love this song?
How do you put into words how much i love this song?
How do you put into words how much i love this song?
The tone of the song sounds like helplessness. The riffs and the way he sings some of the lyrics. My favorite lyric is "And I never feel somewhere, don't you know? Oh no, I never feel somewhere, don't you know? Oh no, I never" Like he saying that he feels lost in life, he doesn't know his place, he feels uncomfortable in his own shoes. As far as anything else in the song, i don't feel like analyzing the rest right now.