"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.
My navigator, well she is obliged,
And she'd promise me, she'd stay by my side.
She's the only one who sees this ship is going down,
And she's the only one, who's not afraid to, she's not afraid to drown.
Well they're pretty on the outside, but they're prettier when pried,
Oh this little oyster, she's got nothing to hide, no no.
And when the ship is pulling, and the air is coming down,
She'll be the only one, who's not afraid to, she's not afraid to drown.
No, she's not afraid to drown,
Oh no, she's not afraid, of going down.
And she's going down...
Blood shot my heart,
Right out of my head.
I'll catch mine, on the way down,
And I'll catch yours, on the way out,
And there's no telling what I'll do.
He said, this time, you better listen to me girl,
Cause I know, whats best for you.
And whatever you do,
Just don't try, to be brave.
You couldn't save yourself, even if you wanted to,
You couldn't save yourself, even if you tried.
Blood shot my heart,
Right out of my head.
And it sent me, it sent me,
Spinning, it sent me, spinning.
And I said, siren, why aren't you singing,
I said, siren, why aren't you singing.
I said siren, Why aren't you singing,
I said siren, Why aren't you singing.
And I remember the seahorses,
I remembered seahorses,
I remembered seahorses.
He said this time, you better listen to me girl,
Cause I know, what's best for you.
And whatever you do,
Just don't try, to be brave.
He said this time, you better listen to me girl,
Cause I know, what's best for you,
And whatever you do, just don't try, to be brave.
No, no, cause you couldn't save yourself, even if you wanted to,
No you couldn't save yourself, even if you tried.
They're pretty on the outside, but they're prettier when pried,
Oh this little oyster she's got nothing to hide no no.
And when the ship is pulling, and the air is coming down,
She'll be the only one who's not afraid to, she's not afraid to drown.
No piano, tied-to-toe, no cracks in the wood,
She wouldn't save herself, even if she could.
She's happy in her watery grave, I guess,
She didn't wanna be saved, that day.
And she'd promise me, she'd stay by my side.
She's the only one who sees this ship is going down,
And she's the only one, who's not afraid to, she's not afraid to drown.
Well they're pretty on the outside, but they're prettier when pried,
Oh this little oyster, she's got nothing to hide, no no.
And when the ship is pulling, and the air is coming down,
She'll be the only one, who's not afraid to, she's not afraid to drown.
No, she's not afraid to drown,
Oh no, she's not afraid, of going down.
And she's going down...
Blood shot my heart,
Right out of my head.
I'll catch mine, on the way down,
And I'll catch yours, on the way out,
And there's no telling what I'll do.
He said, this time, you better listen to me girl,
Cause I know, whats best for you.
And whatever you do,
Just don't try, to be brave.
You couldn't save yourself, even if you wanted to,
You couldn't save yourself, even if you tried.
Blood shot my heart,
Right out of my head.
And it sent me, it sent me,
Spinning, it sent me, spinning.
And I said, siren, why aren't you singing,
I said, siren, why aren't you singing.
I said siren, Why aren't you singing,
I said siren, Why aren't you singing.
And I remember the seahorses,
I remembered seahorses,
I remembered seahorses.
He said this time, you better listen to me girl,
Cause I know, what's best for you.
And whatever you do,
Just don't try, to be brave.
He said this time, you better listen to me girl,
Cause I know, what's best for you,
And whatever you do, just don't try, to be brave.
No, no, cause you couldn't save yourself, even if you wanted to,
No you couldn't save yourself, even if you tried.
They're pretty on the outside, but they're prettier when pried,
Oh this little oyster she's got nothing to hide no no.
And when the ship is pulling, and the air is coming down,
She'll be the only one who's not afraid to, she's not afraid to drown.
No piano, tied-to-toe, no cracks in the wood,
She wouldn't save herself, even if she could.
She's happy in her watery grave, I guess,
She didn't wanna be saved, that day.
Lyrics submitted by Nocturn
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
No Surprises
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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.
Amazing
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American Town
Ed Sheeran
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