"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.
On his arm is that charm around her neck
Strung out again call in some friends
Trying to cash a check cause
I've been dumb that's what you've come to expect
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
She's wearing your clothes
Head down to toe and the auction of you
You said you know what he did to idiot kid
Who don't have a clue
Sometimes they just caught in the eye
Am pulling them through
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Now on the bus nearly touching this dirty retreat
Falling out six inch pallet
There's sweat in my teeth
I'm gonna walk walk walk four more blocks
Cause the one in my brain
Chow downstairs see the man
He's gonna make it all look gay
I can't be myself I can't be myself
And I don't want to talk taking a cure
So I can be quiet wherever I want
So leave me alone you oughta be proud
That I'm getting these marks
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Strung out again call in some friends
Trying to cash a check cause
I've been dumb that's what you've come to expect
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
She's wearing your clothes
Head down to toe and the auction of you
You said you know what he did to idiot kid
Who don't have a clue
Sometimes they just caught in the eye
Am pulling them through
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Now on the bus nearly touching this dirty retreat
Falling out six inch pallet
There's sweat in my teeth
I'm gonna walk walk walk four more blocks
Cause the one in my brain
Chow downstairs see the man
He's gonna make it all look gay
I can't be myself I can't be myself
And I don't want to talk taking a cure
So I can be quiet wherever I want
So leave me alone you oughta be proud
That I'm getting these marks
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“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.
those lyrics are wrong
your hand on his arm haystack charm around your neck strung out and thin callin some friend tryin to cash some check he's acting dumb that's what you've come to expect needle in the hay, needle in the hay, needle in the hay, needle i the hay
he's wearing your clothes head down to toes a reaction to you you say you know what he did, but you idiot kid you don't have a clue sometimes they just get caught in the eye, you're pullin him thru needle in the hay, needle in the hay, needle in the hay, needle in the hay
now on the bus nearly touching this dirty retreat fallin out, 6th and powell, a dead sweat i my teeth gonna walk walk walk, 4 more blocks plus the one in my brain down downstairs, to the man he's gonna make it all ok i can't be myself, i can't be myself, and i don't wanna talk i'm taking the cure so i can be quiet wherever i want so leave me alone you aught to be proud that i'm getting good marks
this song is a cover of elliot smith. it was in royal tenenbaums when baumy was shaving. great song.
ohh. i've heard of elliot smith but i never knew that was a cover. yay for knowledge.
yah at first i was practically insulted that someone would remake elliott smith's best song, but when I heard it, I really liked it.
and these lyrics are so off
LoL who the hell put these lyrics up
wow those lyrics are completely off. i agree aisha i thought, how dare someone try to cover an Elliott Smith song, but's it's actually not bad.