"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.
Oh, oh my darling
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
The artist pays the price
So you won't have to pay
If only we would listen
To what they have to say
There are songs from wisdom
There are songs from satan
There are songs from lovin'
And there are songs from hatin'
There are songs from lust
And there are songs from pain
Some songs were done by chosen men
Some from men, insane
Groove, baby, groove on the light, one time
Groove, baby, on the right
Dance, baby, to the light this time
Dance sugar, on the right side
Groove, baby, groove on the light this time
Groove, baby, on the right side
Dance, baby, to the light, lookin' good
Dance, baby, to the light
Some songs will show which way to go
If only you would listen
Bad songs that turn you on
Show you how much is missing
Songs we're meant to listen to
You're checkin' out the best
Good songs were sent to men from God
Help us pass the test
Life is for learning
And the purpose is joinin' up
With the love of thousand bodies needed
But your soul is never destroyed
Your love, darling, this is all we desire
And all they want is a little understanding, yeah
Sometimes a song can prophesize a warning from the Master
To make your soul listen to, make your learnin' faster
The Devil have his special plan
To make hot songs for sinners
Thank God we'll turn it around
And make good songs for winners
Ay, did you know
Some songs can corrupt your flesh to dust
The only song you should live
Are songs that you can trust
The artist pays the price
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
The artist pays the price
So you won't have to pay
If only we would listen
To what they have to say
There are songs from wisdom
There are songs from satan
There are songs from lovin'
And there are songs from hatin'
There are songs from lust
And there are songs from pain
Some songs were done by chosen men
Some from men, insane
Groove, baby, groove on the light, one time
Groove, baby, on the right
Dance, baby, to the light this time
Dance sugar, on the right side
Groove, baby, groove on the light this time
Groove, baby, on the right side
Dance, baby, to the light, lookin' good
Dance, baby, to the light
Some songs will show which way to go
If only you would listen
Bad songs that turn you on
Show you how much is missing
Songs we're meant to listen to
You're checkin' out the best
Good songs were sent to men from God
Help us pass the test
Life is for learning
And the purpose is joinin' up
With the love of thousand bodies needed
But your soul is never destroyed
Your love, darling, this is all we desire
And all they want is a little understanding, yeah
Sometimes a song can prophesize a warning from the Master
To make your soul listen to, make your learnin' faster
The Devil have his special plan
To make hot songs for sinners
Thank God we'll turn it around
And make good songs for winners
Ay, did you know
Some songs can corrupt your flesh to dust
The only song you should live
Are songs that you can trust
The artist pays the price
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Life Is for Learning Lyrics as written by Marvin P Gaye
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.