"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.
Just a day, just an, ordinary day
Just tryin' to get by
Just a boy, just an, ordinary boy but
He was looking to the sky and
As he asked if I would come along
I started to realize that everyday he finds just what he's lookin' for
Like a shooting star he shines, and he said
Take my hand, live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand
And as he spoke, he spoke, ordinary words
Though they did not feel
For I felt what I had not felt before
And you'd swear those words could heal and
As I looked up into those eyes, his vision borrows mine
And I know he's no stranger
For I feel I've held him for all of time, and he said
Take my hand, live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand
Please come with me, see what I see
Touch the stars for time will not flee
Time will not flee, can't you see
Just a dream, just an, ordinary dream
As I wake in bed
And that boy, that ordinary boy
Was it all in my head?
Didn't he ask if I would come along
It all seemed so real, but as I looked to the door
I saw that boy standing there with a deal, and he said
Take my hand, live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right, in the palm of your hand
In the palm of your hand
Just a day, just an ordinary day
Just tryin' to get by
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but
He was looking to the sky
Just tryin' to get by
Just a boy, just an, ordinary boy but
He was looking to the sky and
As he asked if I would come along
I started to realize that everyday he finds just what he's lookin' for
Like a shooting star he shines, and he said
Take my hand, live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand
And as he spoke, he spoke, ordinary words
Though they did not feel
For I felt what I had not felt before
And you'd swear those words could heal and
As I looked up into those eyes, his vision borrows mine
And I know he's no stranger
For I feel I've held him for all of time, and he said
Take my hand, live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand
Please come with me, see what I see
Touch the stars for time will not flee
Time will not flee, can't you see
Just a dream, just an, ordinary dream
As I wake in bed
And that boy, that ordinary boy
Was it all in my head?
Didn't he ask if I would come along
It all seemed so real, but as I looked to the door
I saw that boy standing there with a deal, and he said
Take my hand, live while you can
Don't you see your dreams lie right, in the palm of your hand
In the palm of your hand
Just a day, just an ordinary day
Just tryin' to get by
Just a boy, just an ordinary boy, but
He was looking to the sky
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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”
Blue
Ed Sheeran
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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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
This song, to me, has always been about meeting someone who changes your life. It reminds me of my bf. I met him 4 years ago, and he was just "that guy who sat across from me on the bus", but even then, he made me want to live more. I could open up to him and be myself, and he encouraged me and supported me in that more than my other friends ever had. I felt like I'd known him forever, like he knew me better than anyone. September 2002, it was just a day, just an ordinary day in highschool; he was just an ordinary guy. But I fell for him without even meaning to and now we're so much more. But 4 years ago I would never have believed it. I guess what I get out of this song is that the smallest and simplest and most insignificant things in life can turn out to be the most meaningful of all.