"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.
I tried to face the fight within
But it's over
I'm ready for the riot to begin and surrender
I walked the path, it led me to the end, remember
I'm caught beneath with nothing left to give, forever
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
Grey skies will chase the light away, no longer
I fought the fight, now only dark remains forever
Divided I will stand
And I will let this end
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
The sun begins to rise and wash away the sky
The turning of the tide, don't leave it all behind
And I will never say goodbye
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
Forever, forever
But it's over
I'm ready for the riot to begin and surrender
I walked the path, it led me to the end, remember
I'm caught beneath with nothing left to give, forever
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
Grey skies will chase the light away, no longer
I fought the fight, now only dark remains forever
Divided I will stand
And I will let this end
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
The sun begins to rise and wash away the sky
The turning of the tide, don't leave it all behind
And I will never say goodbye
When angels fall with broken wings
I can't give up, I can't give in
When all is lost and daylight ends
I'll carry you and we will live forever, forever
Forever, forever
Lyrics submitted by GameOver64, edited by BackupPanic
Angels Fall Lyrics as written by Benjamin Burnley
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
This is a song about suicide. IMO the other interpretations go for the obvious (except the currently highest rated one, but I still think it's not completely right).
VERSE 1: I tried to face the fight within But it's over I'm ready for the riot to begin and surrender
The person this song is about was unable to conquer their inner issues (likely mental illness or addiction) and now time has run out with no hope for a solution, they now have to face the consequences of their failure. They have no resolve to fight against them and give in to negativity and become consumed with hopelessness.
I walked the path, it led me to the end, remember I'm caught beneath with nothing left to give, forever
They blame themselves for where they have ended up because they were fully aware of the inevitable conclusion of their harmful decisions yet they were too weak to stop themselves from making those decisions (like taking drugs/drinking or letting their life fall apart due to depression or some form of mental anguish). Now they are completely trapped underneath the weight of the world after having buried themselves. The rest of their life they will live with the incredible guilt and feelings of helplessness while also feeling like they have failed the world due to their uselessness ("nothing left to give")
CHORUS: When angels fall with broken wings
This is where I really disagree with the present interpretations. To me, the line actually means "IN A WORLD where angels fall with broken wings," as if to demonstrate the depth of the world's corruption and hopelessness by suggesting that the state of humanity is so dire and so cold that the purest beings in existence are crippled by it and are powerless to save us. The subject of the song sees the world as incredibly hostile and antagonistic because their own issues make them (feel) persecuted by mere existence.
I can't give up, I can't give in
Many apparently think this is about strengthening resolve but I believe it's the exact opposite. It's about being completely and (I keep using this word) hopelessly trapped in a situation with no solution. They can't find a way to go on by themselves but neither can they right whatever wrongs they have done and either way will be forced to see themselves as villainous.
When all is lost and daylight ends
"When I have died and everything is gone," daylight being a metaphor for consciousness
I'll carry you and we will live forever, for ever
This line determines that the subject of the song is in fact speaking to someone. The "you" in this case seems to refer to whomever might be reading their suicide note (since the song seems like that's what it is, diagetically). They're saying in their ideal version of the afterlife they would have the strength to "carry" who they are speaking to instead of being weak and unreliable and that they would be able to be happy together forever, however because it's such a naive and fantastic existence it implies that the singer knows deep down that it could never happen.
VERSE 2: Grey skies will chase the light away, no longer I fought the fight, now only dark remains forever
Basically the same as the first verse. Singer was troubled in life and it ruined their opportunities to be happy and fulfilled (grey skies chasing away the light), however that won't happen anymore (because they're going to die/are dead). They struggled to survive and be productive but it doesn't matter now (because they're going to die/are dead).
Divided I will stand And I will let this end
They are singled out because of their issues and the darkness that is taking hold of them (or has done so their entire lives and is now running over). They are standing up and building up the courage to do what they should have done a long time ago and kill themselves ("I will LET this end," as if they are allowing it rather than forcing it, implying it is a natural conclusion to their life)
CHORUS AGAIN
BRIDGE VERSE: The sun begins to rise and wash away the sky
The sun comes up and the world is now going on without them, oblivious to their struggles and suicide.
The turning of the tide, don't leave it all behind
They are telling the "you" person from before that they shouldn't be like them, don't make the same mistakes they did. They should stay on Earth and live a normal life and move on without the singer.
And I will never say goodbye
They're saying that even if they couldn't function in life and wish to die, that doesn't mean they're turning their back on anyone or anything. They don't want whomever they are communicating with to feel hurt or lost because they are gone and they don't want to make them feel like it's their fault. They aren't going to say goodbye because they want to slip away from everyone and everything on earth as quietly and insignificantly as possible because deep down they don't want to hurt anyone.
CHORUS AGAIN
Well, that's how I see it. Pretty morbid but it's the interpretation that fits the lyrics the best in my opinion.
@tenebrousabyss Oh yeah and for those of you who say this is about a breakup or something, you should know that as a songwriter you either write songs about relationships that are taken at face value or you actually have talent and just make that seem like the most obvious interpretation because that's naturally what basic, regular people will see in the lyrics. They're mutually exclusive.
@tenebrousabyss there is no reason for me to dissagree with this interpretation. after listining to the song and thinking about the parts of the song in which you quoted. It makes so much sense. When you first said it was a suicide note, i got very curiouse. Thank you for this very insightful interpretation.<br />