"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.
The time is close now, the end is near
My walk through the valley, trails of fear
I feel empty, my penance overdue,
I guess it's too late now to be with you
I'm extremely frightened of what will surely be
I sold myself, the death of me
I know you can't forgive me I know I'm on my own,
I've betrayed you I walk alone
What exactly is the meaning of this
Just pawns in your twisted game
Severe pain for the lie I'm livin'
For a love I never could betray
Question me not say the lord unto thee
You have chosen your own fate and your own destiny
Denied of this life is what you are to be
You have chosen your own fate and your own destiny
Lord I pound my fists at you
Won't you just let me die
Would I not suffer enough
No inner peace no after life
I did what I thought was right
All for the love of my life
I know it's sad but true
Something is very wrong
Condemned to suffer so long
For a love so true
The question that lies within
Is so hard to understand
It still tears at me
And in my dying breath
My heart holds no regrets
I wouldn't change a thing
My spirit begins to rise to the heavenly skies
Just to be shunned away by you
Now all I want is to die, no streets of gold in the sky
And I wash my hands of you
Rising to the heaven's light
Just to plead for death
Just to be denied
Rising to the heaven's light
Just to plead for death
Just to be denied
Oh, I know you can't forgive me
I know I'm on my own
I know that I've betrayed you
You know I walk alone
You know I walk alone
I walk, I walk the trail of fear
I pound my fists at you
I'm shunned away by you
I wash my hands of you
I want to let me die! I won't let me die!
I want to let me die! I won't let me die!
I want to let me die! I won't let me die!
My walk through the valley, trails of fear
I feel empty, my penance overdue,
I guess it's too late now to be with you
I'm extremely frightened of what will surely be
I sold myself, the death of me
I know you can't forgive me I know I'm on my own,
I've betrayed you I walk alone
What exactly is the meaning of this
Just pawns in your twisted game
Severe pain for the lie I'm livin'
For a love I never could betray
Question me not say the lord unto thee
You have chosen your own fate and your own destiny
Denied of this life is what you are to be
You have chosen your own fate and your own destiny
Lord I pound my fists at you
Won't you just let me die
Would I not suffer enough
No inner peace no after life
I did what I thought was right
All for the love of my life
I know it's sad but true
Something is very wrong
Condemned to suffer so long
For a love so true
The question that lies within
Is so hard to understand
It still tears at me
And in my dying breath
My heart holds no regrets
I wouldn't change a thing
My spirit begins to rise to the heavenly skies
Just to be shunned away by you
Now all I want is to die, no streets of gold in the sky
And I wash my hands of you
Rising to the heaven's light
Just to plead for death
Just to be denied
Rising to the heaven's light
Just to plead for death
Just to be denied
Oh, I know you can't forgive me
I know I'm on my own
I know that I've betrayed you
You know I walk alone
You know I walk alone
I walk, I walk the trail of fear
I pound my fists at you
I'm shunned away by you
I wash my hands of you
I want to let me die! I won't let me die!
I want to let me die! I won't let me die!
I want to let me die! I won't let me die!
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Jane's Addiction
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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.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
I believe the whole Dark Saga album is based on Spawn.