"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.
Pages filled with a holy message
Sealed with a kiss from heaven
On a scroll long ago
Phrases, words that were bound together
Now have the power to sever
Like a sword evermore
Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold
[Chorus]
There is love in the red letters
There is truth in the red letters
There is hope for the hopeless
Peace and forgiveness
There is life in the red letters
In the red letters
One man came to reveal a mystery
Changing the course of history
Made the claim he was God
Ageless, born of a virgin Mary
Spoke with a voice that carried through the years
It's persevered
Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold
[Chorus]
What You say moves me, revelation, come and take me
The more I look [the more I look] the more I see [the more I see]
The Word of God [the Word Of God] is what I need
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Yeah, it's the book of love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
It's the book of love
[Chorus]
Speak to me, breathe in me new life
Speak to me, breathe in me new life
Let Him in your heart
Let Him in your heart
Let Him in your heart
Let Him in your heart
Sealed with a kiss from heaven
On a scroll long ago
Phrases, words that were bound together
Now have the power to sever
Like a sword evermore
Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold
[Chorus]
There is love in the red letters
There is truth in the red letters
There is hope for the hopeless
Peace and forgiveness
There is life in the red letters
In the red letters
One man came to reveal a mystery
Changing the course of history
Made the claim he was God
Ageless, born of a virgin Mary
Spoke with a voice that carried through the years
It's persevered
Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold
[Chorus]
What You say moves me, revelation, come and take me
The more I look [the more I look] the more I see [the more I see]
The Word of God [the Word Of God] is what I need
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Yeah, it's the book of love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
It's the book of love
[Chorus]
Speak to me, breathe in me new life
Speak to me, breathe in me new life
Let Him in your heart
Let Him in your heart
Let Him in your heart
Let Him in your heart
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Fast Car
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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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.
Plastic Bag
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Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This song is talking about how we can find love and hope in Jesus and the words that he spoke. The red letters refers to the versions of the Bible in which the words of Jesus are highlighted in red. I think this is a beautiful song, probably one of my favorite dcTalk ones.
This song means...We are so blessed to have God speaking to us. The bible is more than words on a page..it is God speaking to us. It is stories of our savior. I think partly Red Letters is symbolic of the blood shed by Jesus on the cross for our sins. Sure the words spoken by Jesus are in red in some Bibles but I like to think that Red Letters means something more than just showing me who said the words. "There is life in the Red Letters" Think about that!!
I love this song so much. Kevin Max is a truly amazing singer ... just out of interest do you ppl all have his album 'stereotype Be'? Trust me, it rules. Neways, this song is both about Jesus Words and Jesus blood, just 2 get rid of ne disagreements that seem 2 b cropping up. Not only that it is about the whole message of the bible. All of the Old Testament, when studied in detail, all seems to lead up to the Life and Death of Jesus. This song reflects the fact that in Jesus there is,love, truth, hope and a life worth living.
my most favorite dc talk song EVER....there is most definitely truth and life in the red letters!!
Toby's voice sounds absolutely beautiful in this song. I really wish he would have actually "sang" on more than just one album.
Hmm... I always thought that "red letters" referred to letters, as in mail. You receive them, all for free - the postage is already paid - and the only thing you have to do is to open it, and you'll receive the contents; Love, truth, hope, peace, forgiveness, life. And they're red, due to the blood that Jesus shed to pay the price. The explanation with the Bibles highlighting the words of God with red letters makes more sense, though - hence the first verse, and Kevin Max's line of "It's the book of love" in the bridge.
On that note, though, I think highlighting with exactly red in those Bibles is symbolic of the blood of the Lord.
Regards, ILB
The blood of Christ is an interesting theory, but Red Letters means the verses in the Bible that represent Christ speaking. In those words are love, truth, hope for the hopeless and peace and forgiveness. I'm almost positive that's what they mean. I don't see how the blood of Christ refers to letters.