"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.
Black blood and risky business
High affairs that never see the sun
Cold steel and loaded pistols
Someone's got to see the work gets done
When the black knight moves, you can taste the trouble in the air
You can hear the city talking like it doesn't care
Between the darkness and the light, somebody's will gets done tonight
Before the black knight moves again, you better not be there
Back streets and lonely places
Where you do the kind of things you do
Black cloaks and hidden faces
When we gonna get a look at you?
When the black knight moves, you can feel the darkness coming on
You can hear the city hide itself away till dawn
Between the knife edge and the skin, maybe you'll see the fix go in
Before the black knight moves again, you better be long gone
No words, you keep your silence
People talk in whispers where you are
I hear the sounds of violence
Tell me, brother, where'd you get those scars?
When the black knight moves, you can feel a chill across the board
You can hear the city asking what it's looking for
Between the living and the dead, you just might see a flash of red
Before the black knight moves again, you better see no more
You're a man who knows his business
You can see the master plan.
And you play your own position
You're the instrumental man.
Would the whole world come down crashing
Would the highborn fall as well
If you kick the table over, send the pieces all to Hell?
Dark deeds and secret matters
You can fix it but it doesn't last
Bright flash, the mirror shatters
Who's reflected in the broken glass?
When the black knight moves, you can feel a hand disturb the game
You can hear the city asking for the white pawn's name
When the black knight moves, you can feel a hand disturb the game
You can hear the city asking for the white pawn's name
Between the black squares and the white, there's gonna be a sacrifice tonight
Before the black knight moves again, you better do the same
High affairs that never see the sun
Cold steel and loaded pistols
Someone's got to see the work gets done
When the black knight moves, you can taste the trouble in the air
You can hear the city talking like it doesn't care
Between the darkness and the light, somebody's will gets done tonight
Before the black knight moves again, you better not be there
Back streets and lonely places
Where you do the kind of things you do
Black cloaks and hidden faces
When we gonna get a look at you?
When the black knight moves, you can feel the darkness coming on
You can hear the city hide itself away till dawn
Between the knife edge and the skin, maybe you'll see the fix go in
Before the black knight moves again, you better be long gone
No words, you keep your silence
People talk in whispers where you are
I hear the sounds of violence
Tell me, brother, where'd you get those scars?
When the black knight moves, you can feel a chill across the board
You can hear the city asking what it's looking for
Between the living and the dead, you just might see a flash of red
Before the black knight moves again, you better see no more
You're a man who knows his business
You can see the master plan.
And you play your own position
You're the instrumental man.
Would the whole world come down crashing
Would the highborn fall as well
If you kick the table over, send the pieces all to Hell?
Dark deeds and secret matters
You can fix it but it doesn't last
Bright flash, the mirror shatters
Who's reflected in the broken glass?
When the black knight moves, you can feel a hand disturb the game
You can hear the city asking for the white pawn's name
When the black knight moves, you can feel a hand disturb the game
You can hear the city asking for the white pawn's name
Between the black squares and the white, there's gonna be a sacrifice tonight
Before the black knight moves again, you better do the same
Lyrics submitted by Annwyd
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Fast Car
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No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.