"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.
Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl
You had fire in your soul
What happened your face
Of melting in snow
Now it looks like this
And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down
No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'Cause I need it now
To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down
Oh, it hurts baby
(What are we going to do now it's all been said)
(No new ideas in the house and every book has been read)
And I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And you can find
Your own way out
You can build
And I can will
And you can call
I can't wait until
You can stash
And you can seize
In dreams begin
Responsibilities
And I can love
And I can love
And I know that the tide is turning 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl
You had fire in your soul
What happened your face
Of melting in snow
Now it looks like this
And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down
No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'Cause I need it now
To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down
Oh, it hurts baby
(What are we going to do now it's all been said)
(No new ideas in the house and every book has been read)
And I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And you can find
Your own way out
You can build
And I can will
And you can call
I can't wait until
You can stash
And you can seize
In dreams begin
Responsibilities
And I can love
And I can love
And I know that the tide is turning 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Holiday
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@[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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
This is just my view, and I know Bono and U2 aren't pro-IRA, but I think the lyrics seem to be about Irish nationalism. The woman in the song is Ireland itself or the nationalist movement. "And I'd join the movement If there was one I could believe in" seems to indicate that the singer doesn't buy into the IRA or any other terrorist type way of trying to unify the nation but the line "Yeah I'd break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in" seems to indicate that the singer isn't exactly innocent either. That seems to be a pretty direct reference to the fact that people committing terrorists acts in the name of religion disqualify themselves from participating in holy communion. It could be about frustration with the peace process all together, the bastards being the people that perpetuate violence. Don't know for sure. But thats my two cents. Great song.
so if you arent religious you are not inoccent?
Argubliy the greatest U2 song ever. The song is about coping with the everyday terror of life. And you can swallow Or you can spit You can throw it up Or choke on it How do you cope with the truth that there is no greater meaning? How do you keep on going when there is no no purpose. Well, you "can throw it up",
If you only knew who to hit And I'd join the movement If there was one I could believe in Yeah I'd break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in For one of those few atheist U2 fans this describe the fealing of not belonging to anything, not knowing where to peticipate, nevertheless having a great desire to find something to belive in. It`s about the hopelessness of beliving and the quest of wanting someting out of reach.
I think Bono was very much referring to himself in this song and struggling to deal with celebrity and also how fans viewed him
The song is very easy to interpret. The woman Mary is someone of great importance and how she refers to her through the song would suggest that Mary is either her mother or her grandma. If you were to dedicate this to someone though, it would be easy to come up with your own interpretation. What makes this song great is the emotions you feel for the author. Specifically “we overcome the sirens” which alludes to an ambulance coming to save someone, and then it very quickly gives you the end result by saying “I know someday I’ll see you soon but now your out of sight”. Which causes the emotion of fear, devastation and sadness to all merge without a break to process those emotions. I also love how the author put in short sentences to include memories significant to her to describe her loved one and reference it into being her story book.
I think this one of the more under-rated U2 songs. It's one of my favorites on Achtung and it's just a clever, witty song. I love the lyrics.
"And I must be an acrobat To talk like this And act like that "
Best lyrics on Atchung Baby for mine. I agree with u2e, this is a very underrated song and one of the best on the album, and therefore best ever by U2 because AB is one of the, if not the, best U2 album.
Great ending too:
"And I can love And I know that the tide is turning 'round So don't let the bastards grind you down"
I like it because it gives me a bit of hope. Like tonight, when it looks like Bush just won the election... tough times indeed.
I can understand what acrobat means in this context but who are the bastards? For a christian to use a word like that is pretty disrespectful
That's hilarious.<br /> <br /> And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (Hebrews 12:5-8)<br /> <br /> And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. (Zechariah 9:6)
I would investigate the greek word "skubala".
"Don't let the bastards grind you down" is a saying that was popular during WW2 amongst soldiers, basically meant to just keep going despite external hardship or whatever
FullDevilSoccer: The phrase is better known in its pseudo-Latin translation, "Non illegitimus carborundum." See alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxillegi.html, "The phrase seems to have originated with British army intelligence early in World War II. It was popularized when U.S. general Joseph W. "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (1883-1946) adopted it as his motto. Various variant forms are in circulation."
@padmewan Yeah....Unfortunately the fundamentalists ("truth without love") have put too much pharis33ism into Christianity, especially in the states. So be easy on them, and I like the verse quoting with some good old KJV language in it. Philippians 3:8 has a quote-unquote "curse word" in it, and when you show the fundamentalists that information, they freak out. But we're called to be gentle with each other. .. Back to the song... I love this song.. Day One to Day Now....it has always been a favorite.
FullDevilSoccer: You are young so I will withhold the harsher criticism I had for you when I first read your post. I would just say this; that if you are a Christian, then the faster you get past the falicy of equating your country's cultural taboos with Christianity the sooner you will be able to think and act in a manner that is helpfull to mankind and pleasing to God. Saying that there are bastards in this world that want to "grind you down" is not equal to calling someone a bastard (ironicaly a word that would not have much meaning without the existence of organized religion)
That is indeed Ironic... ANd I was going to say the same thing to FullDevilSoccer.<br /> <br /> <br />
This song kicks ass!!!. I love U2 and Achtung Baby is the greatest album of all time. Practially every song on it is a masterpiece. I agrre with caitsith01