"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.
Yeah, I gotta say like a month ago
I was talking to fans
And one of them pulled me aside and said
"We never met but I swear that you know who I am
I been through a lot
I don't know how to express it to people
Don't think that I can but I got that Mansion CD on rotation
That's real for me Nate, you do not understand"
It's crazy for me
Kids hit me up, say they slitting they wrists on the daily
This music is more than you think
Don't book me for just entertainment, it's entertaining
Hearing these parents, they telling their kids
My music is violent, you gotta be kidding me
I guess that your definition of violence and mine
Is something that we look at differently
How do you picture me, ah?
Want me to smile, you want me to laugh
You want me to walk in the stage with a smile on my face
When I'm mad and put on a mask, for real though
I mean, what you expect from me?
I'm tryna do this respectfully
They say that life is a race
I knew my problems'll probably catch up eventually
I do my best to be calm
How you gon' write me and tell me you'd slaughter my family?
That's just a glimpse to the stuff that gets sent to me
These are the parts of my life that'll never see, woo
I am aware it's aggressive
I am not here for acceptance
I don't know what you expect here
But what you expect when you walk in a therapy session, huh?
Therapy, therapy session
Therapy, therapy session
This girl at the show looked me in the face
And told me her life's full of drama
Said that her dad is abusive
Apparently he likes to beat on her mama
I got so angry inside
I wanted to tell her to give me his number
But what you gon' do with it, right?
You gon' hit him up then he'll start hitting her harder
That's real
These kids, they come to my shows
With tears in they eyes
Imagine someone looking at you
And saying your music's the reason that they are alive
Sometimes, I don't know how to handle it
This type of life isn't glamorous
This ain't an act for the cameras
You see me walk on these stages but have no idea what I'm dealing with after it
I put it all in the open
This is the way that I cope with all my emotion
I'm taking pictures with thousands of people
But honestly, I feel like nobody knows me
I'm trying to deal with depression
I'm trying to deal with the pressure
How you gon' tell me my music does not have a message
When I'm looking out at this crowd full of people I know I affected?
Ah, I got some things in my life, I know I should let 'em go
Let me jot it down, let me take a mental note
I put it all in this microphone, think about that for a minute
What is the point of this song, I'm just venting but what you expect from a therapy session?
Therapy, therapy session
Therapy, therapy session
What you think about me
That doesn't worry me
I know I handle some things immaturely
I know that I need to grow in maturity
I ain't gon' walk on these stages in front of these people
And act like I live my life perfectly
That doesn't work for me
Christian is not the definition of what perfect means
I ain't the type to be quiet
I ain't gon' sit here in silence
If I wouldn't say what I say to your face
Then I promise you I wouldn't say it in private
I am not lying
People go off on my page and I'm trying to quit the replying
But this is ridiculous
I'm passionate man, I really mean what I'm writing
You want me to keep it a hundred? Okay, I'll keep it a hundred
I see a whole lot of talking on socials
But honestly, I don't see nothing in public
I kinda love it, yeah
"Why don't you write us some happy raps?
That would be awesome
All your music is moody and dark, Nate"
Don't get me started
You wanna know what it's like if you met me in person?
Listen to my verses
This music is not just for people
Who sit in the pews and pray at the churches
I won't reject it
I don't expect everyone to respect it
I don't expect you to get my perspective
What you expect from a therapy session?
I mean, I think sometimes people they confuse what I'm doing
I write about life, I write about things that I'm actually dealing with
Something that I'm actually experiencing, this is real for me
Like this is something that personally helps me as well
I'm not confused about who gave me the gift
God gave me the gift and he gave me the ability to do this
And he also gave me this as an outlet
And that's what music is for me
When I feel something, whether it's anger
Um, it's a passion about something, or frustration
Like this is where I go, this is, that's the whole NFrealmusic thing man
This is real for me, I need this, this is a therapy for me
I was talking to fans
And one of them pulled me aside and said
"We never met but I swear that you know who I am
I been through a lot
I don't know how to express it to people
Don't think that I can but I got that Mansion CD on rotation
That's real for me Nate, you do not understand"
It's crazy for me
Kids hit me up, say they slitting they wrists on the daily
This music is more than you think
Don't book me for just entertainment, it's entertaining
Hearing these parents, they telling their kids
My music is violent, you gotta be kidding me
I guess that your definition of violence and mine
Is something that we look at differently
How do you picture me, ah?
Want me to smile, you want me to laugh
You want me to walk in the stage with a smile on my face
When I'm mad and put on a mask, for real though
I mean, what you expect from me?
I'm tryna do this respectfully
They say that life is a race
I knew my problems'll probably catch up eventually
I do my best to be calm
How you gon' write me and tell me you'd slaughter my family?
That's just a glimpse to the stuff that gets sent to me
These are the parts of my life that'll never see, woo
I am aware it's aggressive
I am not here for acceptance
I don't know what you expect here
But what you expect when you walk in a therapy session, huh?
Therapy, therapy session
Therapy, therapy session
This girl at the show looked me in the face
And told me her life's full of drama
Said that her dad is abusive
Apparently he likes to beat on her mama
I got so angry inside
I wanted to tell her to give me his number
But what you gon' do with it, right?
You gon' hit him up then he'll start hitting her harder
That's real
These kids, they come to my shows
With tears in they eyes
Imagine someone looking at you
And saying your music's the reason that they are alive
Sometimes, I don't know how to handle it
This type of life isn't glamorous
This ain't an act for the cameras
You see me walk on these stages but have no idea what I'm dealing with after it
I put it all in the open
This is the way that I cope with all my emotion
I'm taking pictures with thousands of people
But honestly, I feel like nobody knows me
I'm trying to deal with depression
I'm trying to deal with the pressure
How you gon' tell me my music does not have a message
When I'm looking out at this crowd full of people I know I affected?
Ah, I got some things in my life, I know I should let 'em go
Let me jot it down, let me take a mental note
I put it all in this microphone, think about that for a minute
What is the point of this song, I'm just venting but what you expect from a therapy session?
Therapy, therapy session
Therapy, therapy session
What you think about me
That doesn't worry me
I know I handle some things immaturely
I know that I need to grow in maturity
I ain't gon' walk on these stages in front of these people
And act like I live my life perfectly
That doesn't work for me
Christian is not the definition of what perfect means
I ain't the type to be quiet
I ain't gon' sit here in silence
If I wouldn't say what I say to your face
Then I promise you I wouldn't say it in private
I am not lying
People go off on my page and I'm trying to quit the replying
But this is ridiculous
I'm passionate man, I really mean what I'm writing
You want me to keep it a hundred? Okay, I'll keep it a hundred
I see a whole lot of talking on socials
But honestly, I don't see nothing in public
I kinda love it, yeah
"Why don't you write us some happy raps?
That would be awesome
All your music is moody and dark, Nate"
Don't get me started
You wanna know what it's like if you met me in person?
Listen to my verses
This music is not just for people
Who sit in the pews and pray at the churches
I won't reject it
I don't expect everyone to respect it
I don't expect you to get my perspective
What you expect from a therapy session?
I mean, I think sometimes people they confuse what I'm doing
I write about life, I write about things that I'm actually dealing with
Something that I'm actually experiencing, this is real for me
Like this is something that personally helps me as well
I'm not confused about who gave me the gift
God gave me the gift and he gave me the ability to do this
And he also gave me this as an outlet
And that's what music is for me
When I feel something, whether it's anger
Um, it's a passion about something, or frustration
Like this is where I go, this is, that's the whole NFrealmusic thing man
This is real for me, I need this, this is a therapy for me
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Therapy Session Lyrics as written by Thomas James Profitt Nate Feuerstein
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mountain Song
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"'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."
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Amazing
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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.
"It came from conversations with fans about depression, self harm, and other topics to which the rapper can relate. He said:
"This song is a very aggressive and blunt song, not really holding back on this one. I went from people having no idea who I was, to getting thousands of people writing me about how they relate to my pain, but with that I have also received a massive amount of hate and I'm still trying to work through how to handle that as a person and an artist.
Basically I just wanna say thank you to all the fans who told me some of their story, and thank you to all the people who pretend like they know me and judge me from some crap they heard on the internet."