"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 don't need a support system
Lifting me into prop position
What I need is a man of action
I need my attraction to you
Driving me down all those dangerous avenues
Lions and tigers tearing at their food
I know the gossip flies around at breakfast
One of them reins is in your hand
Where do you get the fuck off thinking I was there at the party
'Cause all my friends feed me the evil reasons
Why you and I should not be friends?
Let's think this whole thing through
Tell me, just what the hell is a lover supposed to do?
I got the wrong reaction, a slap in the face from you
This is such a stupid picture
Wrap me in a steak
Why don't you throw me in the panther cage
And maybe then I'll like you better
(No way!)
I don't need a support system
Lifting me into prop position
What they make is a separation of beauty from attitude
What satisfaction is left when all you do
Tells everyone you're acting untrue?
This is such a stupid picture
Light a cigarette
Why don't you stub it in the carborateur
And maybe then you'll sell me something
(No way!)
I don't need a support system
Put your hand on my heart and listen
What I need is a dedication to last me all the way through
Pointing the finger, I'm counting on loving you
Over and above the passion
I'm connected to you
Lifting me into prop position
What I need is a man of action
I need my attraction to you
Driving me down all those dangerous avenues
Lions and tigers tearing at their food
I know the gossip flies around at breakfast
One of them reins is in your hand
Where do you get the fuck off thinking I was there at the party
'Cause all my friends feed me the evil reasons
Why you and I should not be friends?
Let's think this whole thing through
Tell me, just what the hell is a lover supposed to do?
I got the wrong reaction, a slap in the face from you
This is such a stupid picture
Wrap me in a steak
Why don't you throw me in the panther cage
And maybe then I'll like you better
(No way!)
I don't need a support system
Lifting me into prop position
What they make is a separation of beauty from attitude
What satisfaction is left when all you do
Tells everyone you're acting untrue?
This is such a stupid picture
Light a cigarette
Why don't you stub it in the carborateur
And maybe then you'll sell me something
(No way!)
I don't need a support system
Put your hand on my heart and listen
What I need is a dedication to last me all the way through
Pointing the finger, I'm counting on loving you
Over and above the passion
I'm connected to you
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
My favorite song on Whipsmart, a highly under-rated effort (I consider the combination of Exile and Whipsmart to be about as good a pair of first and second releases as anything out there). The last part of the song sums it up as a relationship that Liz was felt had the promise to be serious and that was not reciprocal. It runs so honest and counter to most of the her work on Exile that is stands out for that reason, plus the production and the clever crafting of the lyrics, e.g., prop position vs. proposition. If you have ever seen Liz's guitar work when playing Support System, it reminds me of a jazz musician working the fingerboard of a bass.