"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.
Alcohol on my hands, I got plans
To ditch myself and get outside
Dancing women throwing plates
Decapitating their laughing dates
Swirling chickens caught in flight
Out of focus, much too bright
Coming down, shiny teeth
Game show suckers trying to bleed
But I got a drug and I got the bug
And I got something better than love
How you like me now?
Pretty good
Going on, feeling strong
I quit my job blowing leaves
Telephone bills up my sleeves
Choking like a one man dust bowl
Freedom rock slime ball talking in code
Went down, lit up the shack
Grab me a beer out of the sack
Everybody bent over twice
Painting the walls, throwing some dice
Leaping up into the air getting juiced up beyond belief
(And they were singing like this)
Winos throwing Frisbees at the sun
Put my soul between a bun
Now I'm hungry, now I'm drunk
Now I'm running like a flaming pig
(Oh, yeah)
Scraping off the attitude
Old man eating all my food
Don't be kind, don't be rude
Just shake your boots and let it all get loose
(Oh yeah, my goodness)
Fluffy clouds
Jumping rainbows
Fluffy clouds
I'm sad
Jumping rainbows
A soft and snuggly place
Fluffy clouds
I'm sad
Jumping rainbows
A soft and snuggly place
Fluffy clouds
I'm sad and unhappy
Winos throwing Frisbees at the sun
Put my soul between a bun
Now I'm horny, now I'm drunk
Now I'm running like a flaming pig
(Oh yeah)
Scraping off the attitude
Old man eating all my food
Don't be kind, don't be rude
Just shake your boots and let it all get loose
(Oh yeah, my goodness)
Oh yeah, I like it like that
Oh, that is cold
Somebody put a flamethrower on that
Oh my goodness
Take me down to the depot
Somebody put me down on the bus
Oh yeah, I like it like that
Somebody bring me a plate of sassafras
Hey, hey, hey
Oh yeah
Uh, huh
What's happening?
To ditch myself and get outside
Dancing women throwing plates
Decapitating their laughing dates
Swirling chickens caught in flight
Out of focus, much too bright
Coming down, shiny teeth
Game show suckers trying to bleed
But I got a drug and I got the bug
And I got something better than love
How you like me now?
Pretty good
Going on, feeling strong
I quit my job blowing leaves
Telephone bills up my sleeves
Choking like a one man dust bowl
Freedom rock slime ball talking in code
Went down, lit up the shack
Grab me a beer out of the sack
Everybody bent over twice
Painting the walls, throwing some dice
Leaping up into the air getting juiced up beyond belief
(And they were singing like this)
Winos throwing Frisbees at the sun
Put my soul between a bun
Now I'm hungry, now I'm drunk
Now I'm running like a flaming pig
(Oh, yeah)
Scraping off the attitude
Old man eating all my food
Don't be kind, don't be rude
Just shake your boots and let it all get loose
(Oh yeah, my goodness)
Fluffy clouds
Jumping rainbows
Fluffy clouds
I'm sad
Jumping rainbows
A soft and snuggly place
Fluffy clouds
I'm sad
Jumping rainbows
A soft and snuggly place
Fluffy clouds
I'm sad and unhappy
Winos throwing Frisbees at the sun
Put my soul between a bun
Now I'm horny, now I'm drunk
Now I'm running like a flaming pig
(Oh yeah)
Scraping off the attitude
Old man eating all my food
Don't be kind, don't be rude
Just shake your boots and let it all get loose
(Oh yeah, my goodness)
Oh yeah, I like it like that
Oh, that is cold
Somebody put a flamethrower on that
Oh my goodness
Take me down to the depot
Somebody put me down on the bus
Oh yeah, I like it like that
Somebody bring me a plate of sassafras
Hey, hey, hey
Oh yeah
Uh, huh
What's happening?
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
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.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
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.
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.
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.
there's some mistakes in the lyrics up there^ but whatever..
Anyway this is pretty much the best song ever. And that's all I have to say about that.