"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.
Right when the blizzard ends, they throw a fucking huge parade
A great excuse for celebration of the mess they've made
But then when the streets get flooded, we know what proximity's worth
'cause we're already here, in the same place when our phones don't work
So then we lie down in our field and just do nothing at all
And i'm getting ready for when everything is wonderful
For just a couple pairs of broken bones with broken feathers in blood
In a meadow, uncut and understood
We can be an island apart from a ceaseless war on our heart
Harbored in a fortress insurmountable
Taller than affliction, safe wherever we are
Erasing horror and disgust
Rewinding the sorrow and the rust
Before our suffering's suffering, hadn't we suffered enough?
On the morning that we're both 19 and newly on our own
And all we know is "each other" and invisible homes
We find two empty seats in the back of a car in an empty parking lot
Where all our bridges are abandoned and the cops have forgot
And I can feel the difference when the day begins
Like all I know is, "this year will be the year we win."
We smoke the paper from the banner from our past parades
And start again, before the memory of the mess we've made
A great excuse for celebration of the mess they've made
But then when the streets get flooded, we know what proximity's worth
'cause we're already here, in the same place when our phones don't work
So then we lie down in our field and just do nothing at all
And i'm getting ready for when everything is wonderful
For just a couple pairs of broken bones with broken feathers in blood
In a meadow, uncut and understood
We can be an island apart from a ceaseless war on our heart
Harbored in a fortress insurmountable
Taller than affliction, safe wherever we are
Erasing horror and disgust
Rewinding the sorrow and the rust
Before our suffering's suffering, hadn't we suffered enough?
On the morning that we're both 19 and newly on our own
And all we know is "each other" and invisible homes
We find two empty seats in the back of a car in an empty parking lot
Where all our bridges are abandoned and the cops have forgot
And I can feel the difference when the day begins
Like all I know is, "this year will be the year we win."
We smoke the paper from the banner from our past parades
And start again, before the memory of the mess we've made
Lyrics submitted by fordandfitzroy
Parade Lyrics as written by Michael Lerner Darby Cicci
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Little Feat
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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”
Just A Little Lovin'
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Head > Heels
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“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
Considering that "Familiars" is a reflection upon youth and one's past mistakes or triumphs, I feel like the song is a tribute to blind optimism and pride that we can have as teenagers. Parades seem to embody that display of good vibes and cheeriness. At the same time, the narrator accepts his failures from his youth and learns from them. It's not really a pessimistic song, but rather encapsulates the need to make a show (a parade) and move on with high spirits. Similar to "Putting the Dog to Sleep" but with a cheerier melody and more broad in topic.
Great song. Takes me back to high school but instills the feeling of "no regrets". Heartfelt and uplifting.
I don't think this is what it's /actually/ about, but to me it's an endearing and sarcastic look at optimistic Brooklyn hipsters. They're pretty white kids who've never had to really worry about anything serious before. They were ill prepared for the recent blizzard that hit New York, but also kinda saw it has a valuable life experience. They're out of touch with the real problems of the world. They think they've suffered already but now life is starting to get a little too real and they're interpreting their small-time hardships as much worse than they are from an outsiders perspective. Eventually they can't pay rent because their frivolity didn't leave time for a job and mom and dad are done footing the bill, so they're homeless, living in a car, but they don't really mind because they see it as being really cool and bohemian. They're really making the best of it and are now earning a bit of that much needed perspective on the world. From a distance they look very pretentious and privileged and whiny, but they don't really care, besides, they've got this close support network of all their hip friends to lean on and they're optimistic about the people they're gonna become. These kids are gonna do alright.