"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.
[Verse:]
Oooooooo waaaaa yea
A lot of people call it his story
It's only right to call it my story
Cause I been through a lot and thought it'd never stop
With everything that I got I held on with Ohhh
Like being taken from my comfort zone to
A total stranger's place that they call home
So I put up my guard had to ignore my heart
That's when I grew up a lot but now the cost is...
[Bridge:]
I may have a problem with expressing my opinions
And a million other things I just failed to mention
Whenever I cry and nobody was there to dry my eyes
Like it was my fault that nobody told me to hold on tight
[Chorus:]
I'm just misunderstood
Tryna make you love me any way I could
Maybe one day you will see that there's so much more to me
I'm just misunderstood
Do the opposite of what you think I should
So there's nothing else to do but to live misunderstood
[Verse 2:]
I often think about what it'd be like
If I could push rewind to save his life
Would everything be the same or would it turn out this way
I still harbor the pain from you missing (oh woo woo)
Cause when you left she put the blame on me
Mentally, emotionally, physically
Thought it was what I deserved thought I was pleasing her
I learned to live with hurt but now the cost is awwwwoooowaaaa
[Bridge:]
I may have a problem with expressing my opinions
And a million other things I just failed to mention
Whenever I cry and nobody was there to dry my eyes
Like it was my fault that nobody told me to hold on tight
[Chorus:]
I'm just misunderstood
Tryna make you love me anyway I could
Maybe one day you will see that there's so much more to T (yeea)
I'm just misunderstood
Do the opposite of what ya'll think I should
So there's nothing else to do but to live misunderstood... yea
Oooooooo waaaaa yea
A lot of people call it his story
It's only right to call it my story
Cause I been through a lot and thought it'd never stop
With everything that I got I held on with Ohhh
Like being taken from my comfort zone to
A total stranger's place that they call home
So I put up my guard had to ignore my heart
That's when I grew up a lot but now the cost is...
[Bridge:]
I may have a problem with expressing my opinions
And a million other things I just failed to mention
Whenever I cry and nobody was there to dry my eyes
Like it was my fault that nobody told me to hold on tight
[Chorus:]
I'm just misunderstood
Tryna make you love me any way I could
Maybe one day you will see that there's so much more to me
I'm just misunderstood
Do the opposite of what you think I should
So there's nothing else to do but to live misunderstood
[Verse 2:]
I often think about what it'd be like
If I could push rewind to save his life
Would everything be the same or would it turn out this way
I still harbor the pain from you missing (oh woo woo)
Cause when you left she put the blame on me
Mentally, emotionally, physically
Thought it was what I deserved thought I was pleasing her
I learned to live with hurt but now the cost is awwwwoooowaaaa
[Bridge:]
I may have a problem with expressing my opinions
And a million other things I just failed to mention
Whenever I cry and nobody was there to dry my eyes
Like it was my fault that nobody told me to hold on tight
[Chorus:]
I'm just misunderstood
Tryna make you love me anyway I could
Maybe one day you will see that there's so much more to T (yeea)
I'm just misunderstood
Do the opposite of what ya'll think I should
So there's nothing else to do but to live misunderstood... yea
Lyrics submitted by Keykeykinszx3
Misunderstood Lyrics as written by J. Pierre Medor Tyrrell Bing
Lyrics © Missing Link Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Silent Planet
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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.
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Yo La Tengo
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Great version of a great song,
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Dusty Springfield
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Page
Ed Sheeran
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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.
To me, its like she's being misunderstood bout her dads death, like she was blame or something for his death.