"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.
Oh I tried to get to you
Pushed in the end to break me through
I tried with all I had
You left me standing empty handed
Well time has passed
Nothing ever lasts
So now you confess that you need me
And now you release what you're feeling
But how is this supposed to ever be the same
Oh it's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
Oh it's a shame
Yeah
You got the best of me
Got me a reason
Got me on my knees, yeah
My love I lost my pride
Searching for something I couldn't find
Well the time that passed has brought a change of heart
And now you confess that you need me
And now you release what you're feeling
But how is this supposed to ever be the same
Oh it's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
You know it's a shame
Yeah
Ooh, ooh
Well you got the best of me
I said love got the best of me
Saying you got the best of me
And I'm afraid it will never be the same
It's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
You know it's a shame, oh
It's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
You know it's a shame, oh
Yeah
Well you got the best of me
Ooh
Pushed in the end to break me through
I tried with all I had
You left me standing empty handed
Well time has passed
Nothing ever lasts
So now you confess that you need me
And now you release what you're feeling
But how is this supposed to ever be the same
Oh it's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
Oh it's a shame
Yeah
You got the best of me
Got me a reason
Got me on my knees, yeah
My love I lost my pride
Searching for something I couldn't find
Well the time that passed has brought a change of heart
And now you confess that you need me
And now you release what you're feeling
But how is this supposed to ever be the same
Oh it's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
You know it's a shame
Yeah
Ooh, ooh
Well you got the best of me
I said love got the best of me
Saying you got the best of me
And I'm afraid it will never be the same
It's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
You know it's a shame, oh
It's a shame
It's a shame
Oh it's a shame
You know it's a shame, oh
Yeah
Well you got the best of me
Ooh
Lyrics submitted by Museicalin
It's a Shame Lyrics as written by Ryan Tedder
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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,
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
can't believe i'm the first to post on this beautiful song! i think he is talking about a tough breakup. he was the one who got dumped and it took him a while to get over it because the girl was someone he truly loved. with time, he eventually is able to move on...but soon enough the girl is back in his life asking to get back together. he's torn about what he should do. he still loves her so much, but at the same time, he thinks it was unfair of her to leave him, break his heart, and then expect him to return.
Agree!
heybuddy, i know what you mean! But when you still love someone so much its alway hard, no matter how much he has hurt me