"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.
There's a certain point the body can't come back from
In one year, we've learned the turn of the mouth
The depth that the chest cavity takes
Chuckie was there for three out of three
I was there for the third 'cause I couldn't be
There for the one who was closest to me
But I can't say I'd run when things get hard
It's just that I don't trust myself with my heart
But I've had to let it break a little more
'Cause they say that's what it's for
That's how the light shines in
That's how the light shines in
That's how the light gets in, mm-mm
So everyone was there, they were standin' and laughin'
And I'm on the side with my tears streamin' down
There's somethin' about the clutch of the wrist
He thought mine was his to carve into his mouth
We've only got hours
And I just can't stop cryin' 'cause all of the ways
When you see someone dyin', you see all your days
Flash in front of you
And you think about who would be with you
And then there's Donoghue
Mm
Daddy, I miss them
I'm in the mountains
I'm probably running away from the feelings I get
When I think of all the things about them
Daddy, I miss them
I'm at the Roadrunner Cafe
I'm probably running away from the thoughts in the day
That have things to do with them, but they say
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
Think by the third of March, I was cracked open
Finally the ground was cold, they wouldn't open
Brought by the sunlight of the spirit to pour into rain
There's a name for it in Japanese, it's kintsugi
They sang folk songs from the '40s
Even the fourteen-year old knew, "Froggie Came A-Courtin'"
How do my blood relatives know all of these songs?
I don't know anyone left to know songs that I sing
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
But daddy, I miss them
I'm at the Roadrunner Cafe
Probably running away from the feelings today
In the snow-capped mountains of the desert
Daddy, I miss them
I'm in the mountains
Probably running away, I've been meaning to say
That there's nothing to do except know that this is
How the light gets in
Like cracking, the light gets in
It's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
Then you're golden
Ah-ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah
Just another folk song, but anyway
I try so hard, but that's okay
It's how the light gets in
It's how the light gets in
It's how the light gets in
In one year, we've learned the turn of the mouth
The depth that the chest cavity takes
Chuckie was there for three out of three
I was there for the third 'cause I couldn't be
There for the one who was closest to me
But I can't say I'd run when things get hard
It's just that I don't trust myself with my heart
But I've had to let it break a little more
'Cause they say that's what it's for
That's how the light shines in
That's how the light shines in
That's how the light gets in, mm-mm
So everyone was there, they were standin' and laughin'
And I'm on the side with my tears streamin' down
There's somethin' about the clutch of the wrist
He thought mine was his to carve into his mouth
We've only got hours
And I just can't stop cryin' 'cause all of the ways
When you see someone dyin', you see all your days
Flash in front of you
And you think about who would be with you
And then there's Donoghue
Mm
Daddy, I miss them
I'm in the mountains
I'm probably running away from the feelings I get
When I think of all the things about them
Daddy, I miss them
I'm at the Roadrunner Cafe
I'm probably running away from the thoughts in the day
That have things to do with them, but they say
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
Think by the third of March, I was cracked open
Finally the ground was cold, they wouldn't open
Brought by the sunlight of the spirit to pour into rain
There's a name for it in Japanese, it's kintsugi
They sang folk songs from the '40s
Even the fourteen-year old knew, "Froggie Came A-Courtin'"
How do my blood relatives know all of these songs?
I don't know anyone left to know songs that I sing
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
But daddy, I miss them
I'm at the Roadrunner Cafe
Probably running away from the feelings today
In the snow-capped mountains of the desert
Daddy, I miss them
I'm in the mountains
Probably running away, I've been meaning to say
That there's nothing to do except know that this is
How the light gets in
Like cracking, the light gets in
It's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
Then you're golden
Ah-ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah
Just another folk song, but anyway
I try so hard, but that's okay
It's how the light gets in
It's how the light gets in
It's how the light gets in
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'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."
This song connects to another song from the same album, "Let The Light In", which features Father John Misty. In both songs, the phrase of "letting the light in" in used in two completely different contexts.
In this song, which comes before "Let The Light In" in the album's order, this phrase is used in conjunction with "kintsugi", or the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery pieces with liquid gold. In the context of the song, Lana is saying that she has been broken in the aftermath of personal life events (specifically, the death of a family member). However, she goes on to say in the song that this kind of heartbreak is important. By going through personal challenges, she is able to let good events (i.e. the "light") to come into her life and fix her broken state. In the context of the song, even though Lana has gone through this recent loss, she is able to surround herself with her loved ones and get through a bad situation. Family is an important topic covered in this album, and this song highlights the significance of family.