"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.
Love, let me sleep tonight on your couch
And remember the smell of the fabric
Of your simple city dress
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
We walked around 'til the moon got full like a plate
And the wind blew an invocation and I fell asleep at the gate
And I never stepped on the cracks 'cause I thought I'd hurt my mother
And I couldn't awake from the nightmare, that sucked me in and pulled me under
Pulled me under, oh
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
I love you
But I'm afraid to love you
I love you
But I'm afraid to love you
I'm afraid, oh
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Real, real, real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, yeah
Oh, that was so real
And remember the smell of the fabric
Of your simple city dress
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
We walked around 'til the moon got full like a plate
And the wind blew an invocation and I fell asleep at the gate
And I never stepped on the cracks 'cause I thought I'd hurt my mother
And I couldn't awake from the nightmare, that sucked me in and pulled me under
Pulled me under, oh
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
I love you
But I'm afraid to love you
I love you
But I'm afraid to love you
I'm afraid, oh
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Real, real, real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, that was so real
Oh, yeah
Oh, that was so real
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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.
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
I always loved this song, but I only recently 'get it' on reflection of my former love. Its amazing how you can have a feeling so strong, but after it's gone it can feel so distant. I sometimes imagine he says 'surreal' instead of 'so real' - 'cause you know, it is.
Just like practically everyone here, I love this song...amazing. Jeff Buckley is just fantastic.
But has anyone else thought the lyrics "and I couldn't awake from the nightmare that sucked me in and pulled me under, pulled me under " are really creepy given the way he tragically passed away?
Ever had that isolated moment that leaps out at you from the normal stream of existence because it's so perfectly crystalized? That's the feeling I get from this song and the repeated phrase "so real." Buckley always seems like he's on something of a different plane, but isolated moments bring him into sharp contact with the world around him. Love -- the kind of really connecting, belonging-to-another-soul love -- was, I think, kind of scary for Jeff, because it would have impacted the fragile beauty of the world in his head. Decades from now, people are going to be listening to every single note and shading of Buckley's music, like they do with Charlie Parker or Django Reinhardt, trying to hear all the nuances of music and emotion he packed in there.
I've never heard anyone who really got it. Wow I must commend you and tell you how happy reading this made me! You could not have come closer by saying,<br /> <br /> "Buckley always seems like he's on something of a different plane, but isolated moments bring him into sharp contact with the world around him. Love -- the kind of really connecting, belonging-to-another-soul love -- was, I think, kind of scary for Jeff, because it would have impacted the fragile beauty of the world in his head."<br /> <br /> You hit the nail on the HEAD my friend. Indeed such is the case because he would be cheating, on his music so to speak.
jeff was afraid of natural bodies of water...he used drowning imagery in heaps of songs, but it was an accident the day he drowned....finally wasn;t afraid to go into a natural body of water...closure....
This song is so amazing...it has this almost elegant acoustic bit at the beginning and then how it goes into the totally rocking hard-core bit in the middle is just phenomenal. Jeff Buckley's voice is amazing, his skills as a songwriter are unquestioned and the tone and atmosphere he brings to this song make you want to cry.
this song is wonderful!!!! the film clip is amazing and the music just makes me cry...."i love you but i'm afraid to love you" - yeah, i get that....
This song is so real.
this song is greatest song of all time. jeff buckley is the greatest musican of all time, this song proves that. i believe the true meaning is about being so in love with someone that your afraid. and jeff is just so poetic the words are so hard to interput so i guess you can mean whateva you want them to mean but i must say how awesome the guitar solo is. i find it so sad he died he achieved so much though....
Obviously a fantastic song...one of the best ever written...i was told that the distorted bit in the middle was done so that it wasn't radio friendly...but this is just what i've been told, and i'm sure it could represent a break up.
I love this song man. oh yeah shivers me timbers o argh! Not to keen on the distorted bit somehow. which is weird cos I'm a fan of Nirvana and the like. Think it seems out of place in this song tho. But hey, who am I? x x