"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.
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh
I don't know why I feed on emotion
There's a stomach inside my brain
I don't wanna be heard, I wanna be listened to
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name? (Oh)
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name, your name?
I scream, you scream
We all scream, 'cause we're terrified
Of what's around the corner
We stay in place
'Cause we don't wanna lose our lives
So let's think of something better
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
My brain has given up, white flags are hoisted
I took some food for thought, it might be poisoned
The stomach in my brain throws up onto the page
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name?
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name?
I scream, you scream
We all scream, 'cause we're terrified
Of what's around the corner
We stay in place
'Cause we don't wanna lose our lives
So let's think of something better (better)
Oh
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Quickly moving towards the storm, moving forward, torn
Into pieces over reasons of what these storms are for
I don't understand why everything I adore
Takes a different form when I squint my eyes
Have you ever done that? When you squint your eyes
And your eyelashes make it look a little not right
And then when just enough light comes from just the right side
And you find you're not who you're supposed to be?
This is not what you're supposed to see
Please, remember me? I am supposed to be
King of a kingdom, or swinging on a swing
Something happened to my imagination
This situation's becoming dire
My tree house is on fire
And for some reason I smell gas on my hands
This is not what I had planned
This is not what I had planned
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Ooh, ooh
Ooh
I don't know why I feed on emotion
There's a stomach inside my brain
I don't wanna be heard, I wanna be listened to
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name? (Oh)
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name, your name?
I scream, you scream
We all scream, 'cause we're terrified
Of what's around the corner
We stay in place
'Cause we don't wanna lose our lives
So let's think of something better
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
My brain has given up, white flags are hoisted
I took some food for thought, it might be poisoned
The stomach in my brain throws up onto the page
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name?
Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name?
I scream, you scream
We all scream, 'cause we're terrified
Of what's around the corner
We stay in place
'Cause we don't wanna lose our lives
So let's think of something better (better)
Oh
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Quickly moving towards the storm, moving forward, torn
Into pieces over reasons of what these storms are for
I don't understand why everything I adore
Takes a different form when I squint my eyes
Have you ever done that? When you squint your eyes
And your eyelashes make it look a little not right
And then when just enough light comes from just the right side
And you find you're not who you're supposed to be?
This is not what you're supposed to see
Please, remember me? I am supposed to be
King of a kingdom, or swinging on a swing
Something happened to my imagination
This situation's becoming dire
My tree house is on fire
And for some reason I smell gas on my hands
This is not what I had planned
This is not what I had planned
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Down in the forest, we'll sing a chorus
One that everybody knows
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Singing songs that nobody wrote
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Hands held higher, we'll be on fire
Lyrics submitted by bookhouseboy23, edited by fr0st2k
Forest Lyrics as written by Tyler Joseph
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
The chorus:
Down in the forest we'll sing a chorus One that everybody knows Hands held higher, we'll be on fire Singing songs that nobody wrote
--- I am one to believe that all people yearn for something more. However, we all get trapped in our own little lives, our problems, and the ways we cope. Breaking out of tradition is scary.
One of my favorite lines from any song comes from NOFX's the decline:
"Only moron and genius Would fight a losing battle Against the super ego When giving in is so damn comforting
And so we go, on with our lives We know the truth, but prefer lies Lies are simple, simple is bliss Why go against tradition when we can Admit defeat, live in decline Be the victim of our own design The status quo, built on suspect Why would anyone stick out their neck?"
Heading to the forest, a place outside of society, we all sing the same song, the underlying will to want something more out of life, but we sing a song no one knew, which means we walk our own path.
This is a sentiment I truly believe. People have become so content with being a cog that the term 'individual' is slowly disappearing. Hence, "Does it bother anyone else that someone else has your name?"
I really relate with squinting of your eyes. It might not happen often, and when it does, it doesn't last long, but you see something in from a different perspective.
Great song.