"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.
Stand back I wanted you to know
That I'm not waiting for you, or anything you say to me
Or anything you say
And when I realized that I was at your door
Would you take away the pain?
And dance the night away
Where'd you get that girl?
Did she smile when you told her that you loved her?
Taking all the chances that you're never getting back
Did you ever say, that all this time there was more
than just you and me?
Keep dreaming now, cause I will be the one she calls
The message is in the bottle, what does it say?
The message is in the bottle, and I am on the island
with hopes of finding her
And when I realized that I had reached the shore
Could you take away the sunshine
And replace it with her body
Cause I am talking, but nothing's coming out
This is where I'm stranded baby,
I need much more than floating hope to get me out of this place
That I'm not waiting for you, or anything you say to me
Or anything you say
And when I realized that I was at your door
Would you take away the pain?
And dance the night away
Where'd you get that girl?
Did she smile when you told her that you loved her?
Taking all the chances that you're never getting back
Did you ever say, that all this time there was more
than just you and me?
Keep dreaming now, cause I will be the one she calls
The message is in the bottle, what does it say?
The message is in the bottle, and I am on the island
with hopes of finding her
And when I realized that I had reached the shore
Could you take away the sunshine
And replace it with her body
Cause I am talking, but nothing's coming out
This is where I'm stranded baby,
I need much more than floating hope to get me out of this place
Lyrics submitted by JoeNewman
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran
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Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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