"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.
Had you never heard or thought of words like these?
Never ever thought it'd sound so much like me
and those who oppose
are secretly disposed
and that's a guarantee
Had you never heard or wanted us to see
never ever thought it'dsound so much like me
and those who oppose
are secretly disposed
and that's a guarantee
that's what you need
a kind of guarantee
I couldn't give to you
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'd never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'de never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
that's what you need
a kind of guarantee
I couldn't give to you
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'd never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'd never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
Never ever thought it'd sound so much like me
and those who oppose
are secretly disposed
and that's a guarantee
Had you never heard or wanted us to see
never ever thought it'dsound so much like me
and those who oppose
are secretly disposed
and that's a guarantee
that's what you need
a kind of guarantee
I couldn't give to you
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'd never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'de never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
that's what you need
a kind of guarantee
I couldn't give to you
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'd never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
The sound never gave me up
so what then?
I'd never gave me up,
so what then?
did the lie ever give me?
the lie ever give me?
Lyrics submitted by spiralof5, edited by facemeetpavement
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“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.
I think this is a letter to God or whatever your interpretation of God is.
The first stanza is saying, IMO, had you (God) never heard this barrage of questions, doubts, thoughts, like what I'm proposing?
I firmly believe the singer goes from 1st to 2nd and 3rd person regularly throughout the song (if the lyrics above are correct). It's amazing because 2nd person is such a fuzzy area in writing and he does it perfectly.
This stanza could be interpreted in a few ways. I (God) never thought your questioning; your curiosity; would sound so much like peace (because without questioning, how can the human race ever grow?) OR I've found my peace with God (1st person but I still have many questions).
Those who oppose (either those who oppose him, God, in first person, OR those who oppose the singer's belief) a secret need is exposed (the need to believe in something, in this case I would say it is a firm belief of the singer and his interpretation of GOD) and that's a guarantee (I don't believe in faith without purpose but I can't find purpose in those who don't believe in something, otherwise you can do what you want with no consequences.......even if you are atheist you know human morals......)
The next stanza to me is God talking to him:
That's what you need...a sort of guarantee (I know that even in my faith I still have questions and God knows I want the definite answers) BUT
"I couldn't give to you" Again I think God is talking to him and saying "I know you know I have all of the answers but you have to find you're own way out of this shitty mess I've given you. Make it the best or the worst. It's up to you." You have to remember that when these guys were in Chicago, they were homeless parking from place to place in -degree windchill Chicago weather. They were homeless.
Now the next few lines are him talking to God. "The sound never gave me up". "I've been trying my best to live and my music has survived and helped me survice"
"I'd never gave me up." Simple. He believed in what he was doing and never "gave me up".
Again, talking to God, "The lie of believing when everything I have done, I have done without you (possibly). You (God) didnt' believe in me so maybe you are a lie and what has the lie ever gave me?
The rest repeats which leads me to believe the lyricist isn't sure what think of God.
Just my interpretation and noone knows the correct lyrics at this point so there is a huge possibility I have misjudged the whole song.
Sounds to me more like: Those who oppose Are secretly disposed?
Are these interpreted or is there a source?