"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.
Satan gave me a taco
And it made me really sick
The chicken was all raw
And the grease was mighty thick
The rice was all rancid
And the beans were so hard
I was getting kinda dizzy
Eatin' all the lard
There was aphids on the lettuce
And I ate every one
And after I was done
The salsa melted off my tongue
Pieces of tortilla
Got stuck in my throat
And the stains on my clothes
Burned a hole through my coat
My stomach was a'tremblin'
And I broke out in a rash
I was so dry and thirsty
And I didn't have no cash
So I went and found a hose
Tore off all my clothes
Turned on the water
And it shot right up my nose
Some old lady came along
And she thought I was a freak
So she beat me with her handbag
'til I could hardly speak
I was lying there naked
My body badly bruised
In a pool of my own blood
Unconscious and confused
Well the cops came and got me
And threw me in their van
And I woke up on the ceiling
And I couldn't find my hand
They took me to the judge
His eyes a'glowin' red
The courtroom was filled
With witches and the dead
Well the sheriff was a hell-hound
With fangs and claws
The prisoners were tied up
And chained to the walls
The air was getting thick
The smoke was getting thicker
The judge read the verdict
Said "cut off his head!"
Well they placed me on the altar
And they raised up the axe
My head was about to explode
When I noticed the marshall stacks
I noticed all the smoke machines
Cameras and the lights
Some guy with a microphone
Runnin' around dancin' in tights
And I noticed the crew
And the band playin' down below
And I realized I was in a rock video
So I went and joined the band
And I went out on tour
And I smoked a lot of heroin
And I passed out in manure
I made out with the groupies (aw yeah)
Started fires backstage (aw yeah, start 'em up)
Made a lot of money (aw yeah, I'm makin' it)
And I gave it all away (give it all to me)
Well the band got killed (aw, bunch of losers)
So I started a solo career (aw haw, yeah
And I won all the awards (get 'em all now)
And I drank all the beer (drink it all up; get funky)
And I opened up the taco stand (aw haw, etc.)
Just to smell the smell
Cookin' with the devil
Fryin' down in hell
And it made me really sick
The chicken was all raw
And the grease was mighty thick
The rice was all rancid
And the beans were so hard
I was getting kinda dizzy
Eatin' all the lard
There was aphids on the lettuce
And I ate every one
And after I was done
The salsa melted off my tongue
Pieces of tortilla
Got stuck in my throat
And the stains on my clothes
Burned a hole through my coat
My stomach was a'tremblin'
And I broke out in a rash
I was so dry and thirsty
And I didn't have no cash
So I went and found a hose
Tore off all my clothes
Turned on the water
And it shot right up my nose
Some old lady came along
And she thought I was a freak
So she beat me with her handbag
'til I could hardly speak
I was lying there naked
My body badly bruised
In a pool of my own blood
Unconscious and confused
Well the cops came and got me
And threw me in their van
And I woke up on the ceiling
And I couldn't find my hand
They took me to the judge
His eyes a'glowin' red
The courtroom was filled
With witches and the dead
Well the sheriff was a hell-hound
With fangs and claws
The prisoners were tied up
And chained to the walls
The air was getting thick
The smoke was getting thicker
The judge read the verdict
Said "cut off his head!"
Well they placed me on the altar
And they raised up the axe
My head was about to explode
When I noticed the marshall stacks
I noticed all the smoke machines
Cameras and the lights
Some guy with a microphone
Runnin' around dancin' in tights
And I noticed the crew
And the band playin' down below
And I realized I was in a rock video
So I went and joined the band
And I went out on tour
And I smoked a lot of heroin
And I passed out in manure
I made out with the groupies (aw yeah)
Started fires backstage (aw yeah, start 'em up)
Made a lot of money (aw yeah, I'm makin' it)
And I gave it all away (give it all to me)
Well the band got killed (aw, bunch of losers)
So I started a solo career (aw haw, yeah
And I won all the awards (get 'em all now)
And I drank all the beer (drink it all up; get funky)
And I opened up the taco stand (aw haw, etc.)
Just to smell the smell
Cookin' with the devil
Fryin' down in hell
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Yeah, that video's pretty kick ass. Anyone who hasn't seen it, go now!