"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.
It gets harder every day, but I can't seem to shake the pain
I'm trying to find the words to say, please say
It's written all over my face, I can't
Function the same when you're not here
I'm calling your name and no one's there
And I hope one day you'll see nobody has it easy,
I still can't believe you found somebody new
But I wish you the best, I guess.
Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows
I don't care what the people say
They brought it all in anyway
Baby don't fill up your head with he-said, she-said
It seems like you just don't know
The radio's on, you tuning me out,
I'm trying to speak, you're turning me down
And I know one day you'll see nobody has it easy,
I still can't believe you found somebody new
But I wish you the best, I guess.
'Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows
Oh I wish you'd understand
Oh, just an ordinary man
Wish that we'd have known
Everybody knows, but nobody really knows
And I know one day you'll see, nobody has it easy
I still can't believe you found somebody new
I wish you the best, I guess.
'Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows
I'm trying to find the words to say, please say
It's written all over my face, I can't
Function the same when you're not here
I'm calling your name and no one's there
And I hope one day you'll see nobody has it easy,
I still can't believe you found somebody new
But I wish you the best, I guess.
Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows
I don't care what the people say
They brought it all in anyway
Baby don't fill up your head with he-said, she-said
It seems like you just don't know
The radio's on, you tuning me out,
I'm trying to speak, you're turning me down
And I know one day you'll see nobody has it easy,
I still can't believe you found somebody new
But I wish you the best, I guess.
'Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows
Oh I wish you'd understand
Oh, just an ordinary man
Wish that we'd have known
Everybody knows, but nobody really knows
And I know one day you'll see, nobody has it easy
I still can't believe you found somebody new
I wish you the best, I guess.
'Cause everybody knows, that nobody really knows
How to make it work, or how to ease the hurt
We've heard it all before, that everybody knows
How to make it right, I wish we gave it one more try
One more try
One more try
One more try
'Cause everybody knows, but nobody really knows
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
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.
"Everybody know but nobody really knows" Refers to how everybody knows that two people break up but they don't really know the reasons of how or why.
He seems to not be able to get over the end of a relationship.
"And I hope one day you'll see nobody has it easy" Reminds me of a girl that thinks she is the only one with problems. No matter how hard the guy tries to make it work and talk, she uses her "issues" as a crutch. He resents this, especially after trying so hard to no avail.
She leaves him by following the advice of others. He isn't sure if this is really what she wants, which makes it all the more difficult.
I've lived this