"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.
Au long de ma défaite, les conséquences vécues
Répète et répète jusqu'au sommeil
Personne ne reste
Personne ne reste
Personne ne reste
Another life, another weekend
Another lonely roller looking for a friend
A blood eye kin, an empty vessel
He's probably crazy but he knows it's gonna end
Look at your face, look in the mirror
You see your eye light and you close your eyes
Look at the lights, look at the city
Who's gonna be here when everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
Another life, another weekend
Another message checker looking for a friend
You got a pulse, you got a problem
We know the real you so why do you pretend?
The velvet rose, the self ???
Because I shiver in the high heel shoes
But what's inside, I feel it winning
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
No one is lost
No one is lost
Back to the crib, back to the castle
The bottle's empty and my bed's unmade
You have the lips, you have a lover
You're being brave but we know that you're afraid
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up, put your hands up
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid, yeah
Until then, that will listen
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
No one is lost
No one is lost
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up, put your hands up
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid, yeah
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
No one is lost
No one is lost
No one is lost
Répète et répète jusqu'au sommeil
Personne ne reste
Personne ne reste
Personne ne reste
Another life, another weekend
Another lonely roller looking for a friend
A blood eye kin, an empty vessel
He's probably crazy but he knows it's gonna end
Look at your face, look in the mirror
You see your eye light and you close your eyes
Look at the lights, look at the city
Who's gonna be here when everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
Another life, another weekend
Another message checker looking for a friend
You got a pulse, you got a problem
We know the real you so why do you pretend?
The velvet rose, the self ???
Because I shiver in the high heel shoes
But what's inside, I feel it winning
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Put your hands up if you know you're gonna lose
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
No one is lost
No one is lost
Back to the crib, back to the castle
The bottle's empty and my bed's unmade
You have the lips, you have a lover
You're being brave but we know that you're afraid
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up, put your hands up
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid, yeah
Until then, that will listen
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
No one is lost
No one is lost
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid
Put your hands up, put your hands up
Put your hands up if you ever feel afraid, yeah
Until then, that will listen
No one is lost
No one is lost
No one is lost
No one is lost
Lyrics submitted by fendie, edited by ao76421, ionaone, RudoWeeber, soumynona
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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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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.
This song opens with a french spoken word verse:
Au lendemain de fête Les consequences vécu Répète et répète jusqu'au au sommeil Personne ne reste Personne ne reste Personne ne reste
Which google tells me means:
The day after the party The consequences Repeats and repeats until sleep No one remains No one remains No one remains
This sets the scene foe some sort of Sisyphean tale of party life. Which seems devoid of meaning. The music begins.
It's sounds are taken from club music. Wide electric "strings" have soft distorted attacks that begin to sharpen as a synth plays out a melody which is joined by a drum machine and a picked electric guitar. These elements come together to form an upbeat club feel with where the chorus is repeated over techno style buildups. We are asked to put our hands up like an audience at an EDM show, but instead of exalting in the false immortality of youth we are asked to rejoice in the steady continuation towards death:
Put your hands up 'cause everybody dies.
The verses set the scene of club entrances and loneliness. Of waiting for some sort of absolution which we presumably get from the chorus.
In this way the fabricated moments of dance club joy are re-purposed to help assuage the fear of death. It is both critical of the feeling of community in the club (is it meaningless?) and yet sympathetic to this party (we are encouraged to participate). Later choruses expand this to the feeling of loss and the fear or loss. Amy tells us than until the moment we die / lose we are still alive and we can still win. Interestingly, the last chorus asks us to participate if we ever feel afraid which recognizes the emotional reaction we have to death and loss, but by this point we are already dancing too much to care about these things.