"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.
A fist will make you understand intention
To raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone
I bind you up with tape and catch some TV
It’s getting late, the shadows in the street are watching us
Check for fibres in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards
Check the fingerprints, go through the trash
Maybe I just wanted some attention
Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light
Every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
The night is crawling closer to the action
Your mouth is driving me into distraction, you talk too much
Well every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
A plague inside your home, I’m raider
Defiling all you own, raider
A cat among the crows, I’m raider
The butcher and his prose, I’m raider
To raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone
I bind you up with tape and catch some TV
It’s getting late, the shadows in the street are watching us
Check for fibres in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards
Check the fingerprints, go through the trash
Maybe I just wanted some attention
Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light
Every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
The night is crawling closer to the action
Your mouth is driving me into distraction, you talk too much
Well every story needs to have an ending
We might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air
A plague inside your home, I’m raider
Defiling all you own, raider
A cat among the crows, I’m raider
The butcher and his prose, I’m raider
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Just kidding. This song is about robbery. The raider is a robber. He punches the owner of the home with his fist. He cuts the phone line so the owner can't raise alarm and then he ties the owner up with tape and when he's done with the stressful first part of the robbery,he relaxes for a bit and watches some TV while the owner is tied up and talking too much like "please let me go, please don't hurt me" etc. The next part sounds like he's really searching for something, through the trash, the floorboards and all. Then he needs to check to make sure he hasn't left any finger prints. It sounds like he can't find what he broke in for as if it was just for attention. Now the ending seems like he has to kill this owner and clear the air. I really think the fact he's referring to himself as a raider instead of robber means he was searching for something in particular. He's a plaque inside this owners home and disorganizes everythinf this person owns. This song is rather violent for the album. It kind of reminds me of the serial killer concept of In Absentia. The Grace for Drowning book has a picture of a person tied up close to thw lyrics of this song but the other pictures next to it, I can't quite make sense of. Also, I wanted to point out the song Index is kind of similar to the compulsion of thia robber or raider. I think Index and his song may be connected. I'm not sure what this has to do with Grace for Drowning as a whole but every song seems to be different on this album. Brilliant song. If anyone has anymore odeas or can add on to this a interpretation, please post. I'd really like to know hat that fibres between the teeth line means.
the line(s) about checking for fibres is talking about fibres from the serial killer/robber's (Dennis Rader's) clothes... whilst tying the victim up, the victim would have fought back, trying to bite the assailant evidently, due to his hands being tied up. Hence the lines "Check for fibres in the gaps between the teeth, the floorboards" followed by "Check the fingerprints, go through the trash"... the assailant is making sure he hasn't left any incriminating evidence behind (fingerprints, strands/fibres of his clothes etc.)<br /> hope this helps you understand this masterpiece :)
Agreed this song and Index connect up with "Blackest Eyes" and "The Creator has a Mastertape" from In Absentia on the serial killer concept. Steven Wilson said that his mom is a big serial killer buff and that's where he got the interest from LOL.