"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.
Come and see,
I swear by now I'm playing time against my troubles
I'm coming slow but speeding
Do you wish a dance while I'm in the front
The play on time is won
Oh, but the difficulty's coming here
I will go in this way
And find my own way out
I wont tell you what to be
But I'm coming to much more
Of Me
All at once the ghosts come back reeling in you now
What if they came down crushing
In the way I used to play for
All the love and loneliness
That nobody notices now
Oh, begging slow I'm coming here
I'll be waiting
I wanted to stay, I wanted to play, I wanted to love you
I'm only this far and only tomorrow leads the way
I'm coming waltzing back and moving into your head
Please
I wouldn't pass this by
Oh, no I wouldn't take any more than
What sort of man goes by
I will bring water
Why won't you ever be glad, it melts into wonder
I came in praying for you
Why wont you run into the rain and play
Let it just splash all over you
I swear by now I'm playing time against my troubles
I'm coming slow but speeding
Do you wish a dance while I'm in the front
The play on time is won
Oh, but the difficulty's coming here
I will go in this way
And find my own way out
I wont tell you what to be
But I'm coming to much more
Of Me
All at once the ghosts come back reeling in you now
What if they came down crushing
In the way I used to play for
All the love and loneliness
That nobody notices now
Oh, begging slow I'm coming here
I'll be waiting
I wanted to stay, I wanted to play, I wanted to love you
I'm only this far and only tomorrow leads the way
I'm coming waltzing back and moving into your head
Please
I wouldn't pass this by
Oh, no I wouldn't take any more than
What sort of man goes by
I will bring water
Why won't you ever be glad, it melts into wonder
I came in praying for you
Why wont you run into the rain and play
Let it just splash all over you
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Dave wrote this song about business trouble he was having with a colleague.
i could be wrong but this is the way i interpret it.<br /> i have been listening to this son for 10 years, and today it all just seemed to make sense, especially when u consider that he says things that dont normally make sense like"i will bring water"<br /> i think this song is about a love and about his life being out of control.<br /> <br /> 1st verse - "Come and see..."<br /> hes saying that time cures all ills, but more problems are coming<br /> <br /> 2nd verse - " i will go in this way..."<br /> he's gonna do things his own way and "find his own way out" but he wont tell her how to handle her problems - "I wont tell you what to be"<br /> <br /> 3rd verse - "All at once the ghosts .."<br /> even though he made it through the problems by "playing time" they come back "the ghosts" realing "her" back into his life. the same way that he used to play for love and lonliness and no one notices anymore<br /> <br /> 4th verse - "I'll be waiting..."<br /> hes waiting for her. he always wanted to be with her and "play and love her"<br /> hes only gotten so far, but he's walting back into her head (getting back into her life)<br /> <br /> And the best part of the song:<br /> 5th verse - "I wouldn't pass this by.."<br />