"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.
Deaf, dumb, blind, paralyze, cross into the other side
Won't wear the mask that slips
Your coffin opens and closes and pulls you in and pulls you in
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
Crush your demons
Crush!
I see them falling
Crush your demons
Crush!
I see them falling
Blood red eyes, desensitize, nothing left inside
Won't wear the mask that slips
Your coffin carries the burden that pulls you in that pulls you in
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
I see them falling
I see them falling
Torn between the soul of judgement
Waiting for your life to
You follow blood you follow blood
Against the world
Never ask for this
You follow hate
Not anymore
Never ask for this
Waiting for your life to, to end
Crush your demons
Crush
I see them falling
Crush your demons
Crush
I see them falling
Crush
Won't wear the mask that slips
Your coffin opens and closes and pulls you in and pulls you in
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
Crush your demons
Crush!
I see them falling
Crush your demons
Crush!
I see them falling
Blood red eyes, desensitize, nothing left inside
Won't wear the mask that slips
Your coffin carries the burden that pulls you in that pulls you in
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
Keep searching for the wrecking ball that's in us all
Rise above all that I am
I see them falling
I see them falling
Torn between the soul of judgement
Waiting for your life to
You follow blood you follow blood
Against the world
Never ask for this
You follow hate
Not anymore
Never ask for this
Waiting for your life to, to end
Crush your demons
Crush
I see them falling
Crush your demons
Crush
I see them falling
Crush
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
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.
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.
I wonder if the "wrecking ball" is an oblique reference to Dave Elitch's work with Miley Cyrus?
Great song, great band... Can't wait to see them at Soundwave 2015 #SW15