"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.
Awaking in a sweat
Forsaking pleasure for regret
Another night of blight had slowly passed
The morning skies once fresh and bright
Darkened down no near twilight
Once could smell the end of days were coming fast
Gilles wandered as in purgatory
Beyond the grave of his estate
Neither Heaven, Hell or peasantry
Were present save projected hatred
[Chorus]
He knew suspicion, he felt derision
And grief like a sharpened stake
Pierce his heart, and now the start
Of his unknitting began to take
Vain glorious, a Lord, devout?
He thought his soul exempt
From guilt and doubt, there's no way out
Ten leagues beneath contempt
(He drank an ocean quoting Joan the maiden
A vampire's pious rant
His hot blood stank of devotion laden
With bias for love's covenant)
Awaking in a sweat
Forsaking pleasure for regret
His choired chapel sighed with his laments
As accusations reached a roar
Investigations breached the door
He put up nothing save his favors in defense
The Church stirred in it's Roman lair
The grease had long been spent
Now all tongues spat at Tiffauges there
Ten leagues beneath contempt
Just one falter
One misplaced deed
And Gilles would be undone
As he teetered on the verge of defeat
Profaning God's altar
Bursting in on evening Mass
He threatened there to crucify the priest
Drunk on fiery wine
With the storm lashing behind
He then threw this Philistine
To his foulest dungeon
And money owed or not
The Priest released or left to rot
His blatant sacrilege begot
A war machine of papal Rome
They came for him in mourning splendor
With the blessing of the Saints
His fawning grin in sweet surrender
A lesson in enforced restraint
[Chorus]
He thought courts bought with golden crowns
Rich Bishops he could tempt
But traitor's gate was sought and found
Ten leagues beneath contempt
Ten leagues beneath contempt
Forsaking pleasure for regret
Another night of blight had slowly passed
The morning skies once fresh and bright
Darkened down no near twilight
Once could smell the end of days were coming fast
Gilles wandered as in purgatory
Beyond the grave of his estate
Neither Heaven, Hell or peasantry
Were present save projected hatred
[Chorus]
He knew suspicion, he felt derision
And grief like a sharpened stake
Pierce his heart, and now the start
Of his unknitting began to take
Vain glorious, a Lord, devout?
He thought his soul exempt
From guilt and doubt, there's no way out
Ten leagues beneath contempt
(He drank an ocean quoting Joan the maiden
A vampire's pious rant
His hot blood stank of devotion laden
With bias for love's covenant)
Awaking in a sweat
Forsaking pleasure for regret
His choired chapel sighed with his laments
As accusations reached a roar
Investigations breached the door
He put up nothing save his favors in defense
The Church stirred in it's Roman lair
The grease had long been spent
Now all tongues spat at Tiffauges there
Ten leagues beneath contempt
Just one falter
One misplaced deed
And Gilles would be undone
As he teetered on the verge of defeat
Profaning God's altar
Bursting in on evening Mass
He threatened there to crucify the priest
Drunk on fiery wine
With the storm lashing behind
He then threw this Philistine
To his foulest dungeon
And money owed or not
The Priest released or left to rot
His blatant sacrilege begot
A war machine of papal Rome
They came for him in mourning splendor
With the blessing of the Saints
His fawning grin in sweet surrender
A lesson in enforced restraint
[Chorus]
He thought courts bought with golden crowns
Rich Bishops he could tempt
But traitor's gate was sought and found
Ten leagues beneath contempt
Ten leagues beneath contempt
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
I Can't Go To Sleep
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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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Magical
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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.