"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.
Eli, the barrow boy
Of the old town
Sells coal and marigolds
And he cries out
All down the day
Below the tamaracks
She is crying
Corn cobs and candle wax for the buying
All down the day
Would I could afford to buy my love a fine robe
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
She is dead and gone and lying in a pine grove
And I must push my barrow all the day
And I must push my barrow all the day
Eli, the barrow boy
When they found him
Dressed all in corduroy
He had drowned in
The river down the way
They laid his body down in a church yard
But still when the moon is out
With his push cart
He calls down the day
Would I could afford to buy my love a fine gown
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But, I am dead and gone and lying in a church ground
And still I push my barrow all the day
Still I push my barrow all the day
Of the old town
Sells coal and marigolds
And he cries out
All down the day
Below the tamaracks
She is crying
Corn cobs and candle wax for the buying
All down the day
Would I could afford to buy my love a fine robe
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
She is dead and gone and lying in a pine grove
And I must push my barrow all the day
And I must push my barrow all the day
Eli, the barrow boy
When they found him
Dressed all in corduroy
He had drowned in
The river down the way
They laid his body down in a church yard
But still when the moon is out
With his push cart
He calls down the day
Would I could afford to buy my love a fine gown
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But, I am dead and gone and lying in a church ground
And still I push my barrow all the day
Still I push my barrow all the day
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
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.
one more thing about the suicide interpretation: the fact that eli is dressed all in corduroy could be significant. because the song implies that he is very poor, having to try & sell coal & marigolds just to get by, it may also be that this corduroy outfit was his 'best suit.' think about it in context to a line from another decemberists song:
'& i don't know why she got all dolled up for a suicide'
he dressed up because he knew he was going to drown himself. could this be possible? someone please correct me if i'm obviously wrong.
xo
Yea this song is insane.. however I wouldn't call it 'haunting' as such.. just sad and somewhat nostalgic.. like a 1900 movie in black and white... and when it's finished, you just spend 10 minutes staring at the screen
Simple. She's dead, he drowned himself, and, suicide being a mortal sin, has to return as a ghost, telling us his mournfull tale.
Suicide makes sense, but I think both Eli and his Love are on opposite ends of the social ladder. In a way, that would make his Love's burial place one of choice, perhaps on her family's land.
Eli, who perhaps had an unrequited love for this woman, worked peddling different wares to keep himself alive. When his love dies, he wishes he could have had money with which to buy a fine robe she could have been buried in. Since he could not do that, he would do the next best thing.
He saves up enough money to buy himself "finer" clothes and throws himself into the river to join her in the afterlife. His family has him buried in a church yard hoping to gain him entry into Heaven. Lo and behold he is denied entry and is left to wander the Earth, trapped in a moment in time where he may have been wishing he had enough money to make his love his wife and thus buy her a fine gown. Perhaps this was a dream of his while they were both still alive.
In my opinion, this story doesn't necessarily take place in older times, but perhaps this day and age where there is still much a broken social ladder with little to no hope of moving up. The barrow is/contains his burdens and weighs him down, never able to climb to be with his unrequited love.
That's just me however...don't know if I make any sense.
There's a kid named Eli in my science class...and now I really want to give him a hug.
she died, he never could give her everything she deserved (in his eyes). so he work and works, and one day he just can't take it and kills himself to be with her. The plan to be with her is ruined because he isn't buried anywhere near her. Even after he is dead he continues to work just as hard as he did in life to try and give her a beautiful after life......
this song is about a very true and sad lovers.... as I see it she died probably due to an illness and he feels to blame because if he had more money he could of kept her well...but the fact was he couldnt so it ate at him for awhile until he just decided to kill himself.....
makes me cry on the inside if I can't on the outside
so haunting, so exciting, so good.
could someone tell me where to find this?
it's off the new album, if you want it, i'll send it to you: miamonstar
such a beautiful song. this whole album is amazing.