"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.
and that discussion was all true
until you decided to bust in with the old you
now you're judging them all through your gut
and it sucks that you're stuck in with no shoes to walk in so
there ain't nothing to soften the blow
from that trail of burning coal to the rocks in the road
but you expect them to follow in your pussyfoot steps
which couldn't ever work because you wouldn't look left
and yes there was love in the air,
you should have took breaths,
you know you should've
i said yes, there was love in the air,
you should've took breaths,
you know you could've
and yes, i'm leaving to rest,
in the heart of your machine,
while its bleeding to death
until its carcass is clean,
im feeding the rest of its still beating chest
to the lesser of your subjects.
and they're benchpressing their grudges,
repeating the reps and blending them in with their crutches
and preaching the steps,
i step lightly, tonight, there might just be a jailbreak
and more than likely its failsafe.
full speed ahead til the sail breaks
take a deep breath
man that ocean air has a stale taste
of a centurys old war,
where it was either all for one,
or one on all fours
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
so double knot the laces in your boots when you leave,
cause troubles got the ace of every suit in its sleeve,
so quit shooting the breeze, and living lucrative dreams
and just looping, just looping, just looping it seems.
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
until you decided to bust in with the old you
now you're judging them all through your gut
and it sucks that you're stuck in with no shoes to walk in so
there ain't nothing to soften the blow
from that trail of burning coal to the rocks in the road
but you expect them to follow in your pussyfoot steps
which couldn't ever work because you wouldn't look left
and yes there was love in the air,
you should have took breaths,
you know you should've
i said yes, there was love in the air,
you should've took breaths,
you know you could've
and yes, i'm leaving to rest,
in the heart of your machine,
while its bleeding to death
until its carcass is clean,
im feeding the rest of its still beating chest
to the lesser of your subjects.
and they're benchpressing their grudges,
repeating the reps and blending them in with their crutches
and preaching the steps,
i step lightly, tonight, there might just be a jailbreak
and more than likely its failsafe.
full speed ahead til the sail breaks
take a deep breath
man that ocean air has a stale taste
of a centurys old war,
where it was either all for one,
or one on all fours
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
so double knot the laces in your boots when you leave,
cause troubles got the ace of every suit in its sleeve,
so quit shooting the breeze, and living lucrative dreams
and just looping, just looping, just looping it seems.
now, they were trained to kill all the silence,
using nothing but silk gold and diamonds
they used their skills to build roads to islands
and i ain't gonna leave til the hills close their eyes
Lyrics submitted by rebelyellow, edited by birdfist
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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,
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.
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.
"Because troubles got the ace of every suit in it's sleeve." That's a good line. I see this song as sympathetic to the plight of the would be everyday man that just isn't allowed to be in the game for some reason.
I think it's deeper than that. The whole song is about him trying to convince someone to get past the shallow judgments they place upon people and life. I believe that specific line refers to the fact that there's always a negative angle to see anything. You can always find trouble in any situation. It's all about your perspective. He's hoping to break them free of their own discrimination so they can live in the moment and make the best out of life. The person he's talking to seems to be caught up in materialism, and he knows they will never be content because they will never have everything they want... unless he convinces them to be grateful that they have all they need. ("quit shooting the breeze and living lucrative dreams.. just looping and looping and looping it seems")