"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.
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Fleet of black, fleet of black limousines
Oh tinted machines, here comes the cavalcade
With the armored cars, armored cars like Barettas
Flags on antennas designed to keep me safe, keep me safe
And oh my my, oh hey hey
Here he comes, the candidate
Blue-eyed boy, United States
Vote for him, the candidate
Diamonds cut, diamonds cut for the carats
Plaster of Paris, the floats fill up the street
And the beauty queens, beauty queens with the white gloves
All sick from the nightclubs, they wave with pageantry, pageantry
And oh my my, oh hey hey
Here it comes, the big parade
Marching bands and barricades
Make way, for the big parade
Oh
Canvas covered, canvas covered in resin
Violent men dance the blood ballet
And the bookies say, bookies say it's the third round
Oh when Louie will go down
If he don't there's hell to pay, hell to raise
And oh my my, oh hey hey
Here he comes, the welterweight
Take a dive, for goodness sake
Did you say goodbye to the welterweight?
Catholic priest, Catholic priest in a crisis
Torn between romance and Jesus, who will win the civil war?
And he says I'm in love, I'm in love with a woman
Yeah, this is my confession, I'm leaving, I can't be a priest anymore, anymore
And oh my my, oh hey hey
There he goes, the man of faith
Left the church for a fiancé
Let him love, a man of faith
Oh
TV cameras, TV cameras, and stagehands
American Bandstand, electric guitars
And he's singin' songs, singin' songs for the lonely
Well the girls with the room keys
They know all his words by heart, by heart, and they all sing
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Lovely girl, won't you stay?
Oh, oh, oh
Oh my my, oh hey hey
Here she comes by saving grace
Burn the car and save the plates
She's arrived, my saving grace
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Fleet of black, fleet of black limousines
Oh tinted machines, here comes the cavalcade
With the armored cars, armored cars like Barettas
Flags on antennas designed to keep me safe, keep me safe
And oh my my, oh hey hey
Here he comes, the candidate
Blue-eyed boy, United States
Vote for him, the candidate
Diamonds cut, diamonds cut for the carats
Plaster of Paris, the floats fill up the street
And the beauty queens, beauty queens with the white gloves
All sick from the nightclubs, they wave with pageantry, pageantry
And oh my my, oh hey hey
Here it comes, the big parade
Marching bands and barricades
Make way, for the big parade
Oh
Canvas covered, canvas covered in resin
Violent men dance the blood ballet
And the bookies say, bookies say it's the third round
Oh when Louie will go down
If he don't there's hell to pay, hell to raise
And oh my my, oh hey hey
Here he comes, the welterweight
Take a dive, for goodness sake
Did you say goodbye to the welterweight?
Catholic priest, Catholic priest in a crisis
Torn between romance and Jesus, who will win the civil war?
And he says I'm in love, I'm in love with a woman
Yeah, this is my confession, I'm leaving, I can't be a priest anymore, anymore
And oh my my, oh hey hey
There he goes, the man of faith
Left the church for a fiancé
Let him love, a man of faith
Oh
TV cameras, TV cameras, and stagehands
American Bandstand, electric guitars
And he's singin' songs, singin' songs for the lonely
Well the girls with the room keys
They know all his words by heart, by heart, and they all sing
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Lovely girl, won't you stay, won't you stay, stay with me?
All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see
Lovely girl, won't you stay?
Oh, oh, oh
Oh my my, oh hey hey
Here she comes by saving grace
Burn the car and save the plates
She's arrived, my saving grace
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
I think a real understanding of this song hinges on the line "All my life I was blind, I was blind, now I see," which is repeated 4 times throughout the song. His love for this girl has awoken his eyes from the broken reality of the song. The song in sandwiched in the stanza containing both elements of this: the girl and a new awakening. She is his 'saving grace.' The middle part of the song is what used to obsess his mind and the evolution to accepting grace through love. At once all he cared about was politics and the business of the world. The reference to the the painter is his experience with art--which is not mundane but rather transcendental. This experience is the beginning of his transformation. When he sees the priest leave his church for romance, he sees how romance can be corrupting, which he explores further in the next section, referencing the 'girls with the roomkeys.' Despite this realization he continues on the right path, he echo's the beginning of the poem "Lovely girl, won't you stay with me!" this time with much more enthusiasm. He wants to stay with this girl, he desires a commitment. that will transcend the world "Burn the car," he's found his "saving grace."
i was going to comment but this is everything i was going to say but better. great comment and band. very clever.