"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.
I started a joke which started the whole world crying
But I didn't see that the joke was on me oh no
I started to cry which started the whole world laughing
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me
Oh no that the joke was on me
But I didn't see that the joke was on me oh no
I started to cry which started the whole world laughing
Oh If I'd only seen that the joke was on me
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me
I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes
And I fell out of bed hurting my head from things that I said
'Till I finally died which started the whole world living
Oh if I'd only seen that the joke was on me
Oh no that the joke was on me
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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,
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.
Let's say for every joke you tell, you cause others to cry. Lets say every tear you shed causes laughter in others. Imagine that your death is the cause of the people in this world living. Not existing, but living. You are not a christ figure. The tone from the music suggests the speaker is more of the reason that people aren't enjoying life at the present. Your mere existance is simply a hindrance to the world. The speaker is tormented. Crying to an empty sky and hurting from "things that he said". The speaker is tormented by his past words. For he now realizes that they have placed him out of love and acceptance from the world. They have left him abondoned and it all his fault. In short, the song is about the remorse and isolation that comes from words and actions that have caused irreperable harm to many. It is the realization of youthful immaturity, that, in itself, only hurts the self. End to End, the joke is you
@musiclover68
That is one of the most beautiful meaning of a song that I’ve ever heard. I believe you’re right on and your use of words is magical!
@musiclover68 Great interpretation!!! Thank you, I would not change a word in you text.
@musiclover68 the song feels a lot more meaningful to me after reading your post. thank you :)
I agree with the devil version and some of your other comments.
My version: I was thinking of somebody who takes life as a joke, like a big crazy party, think he knows better, doesn't accept any opinions, rules or limits, and is constantly searching for the biger high (I can also imagine him doing a bunch of hard drugs, but this part is not necessary). The world around him is crying, but he feels supperior than everybody else, it's all a joke to him. When it all catches up with him, he breaks down, and he feels that all the people around him are laughing at him, that everybody is against him and they are happy he is is down... In the light of all this mood swinging he does or says things he doesn't mean, and he worries about it, when it catches up with him.
What he doesn't realize is, that the joke is on him, that is, it's not about him at all, that the whole world is not against him and his ideas, that its all just an ilussion caused by his selfishness, the ego. If this "lens" that is his ego dies, the whole world becomes beautiful and full of life again.
brilliant.
I agree. Nothing more to add.
@istartedajoke spot on
@istartedajoke That someone is eveyone of us, indeed!
I have e theory about that beautifull song and here it is : the guy in the song was in love with a cheating woman but he was the only one in the world that cauldn't see that she was keeping on decieving him so that when he is talking about how he is feelings about her with the ohters "he starts the joke that makes them cry" because they feel so sad for him cos he doesn't know the truth of her. and then he discoverd that his lover is a cheater and so when he is talking about that with the others (not the others mentioned before i think) they started to lough on him cos he was such a fool who discovered it so late. so he is singing "if'd only seen that the joke it was on me" cos he discovered it too late. and he is describing how blind he was by saying "I looked at the skies running my hands over my eyes " does any body have any better idea about that song ?
lennon-mccartney (nice user name by the way), i completely agree with your take. That was mine exactly. that he didn't know he was being made of fool of and everyone knew but him. Terribly sad, pathetic song. the song "Diary" by Bread had a similar message although must more painly spoken.
This song is soooo mega-sad that I feel like sobbing everytime I hear it. And I don't even know what it means!
Heard it for the first time in years today, Jean. Absolutely heartbreaking.
You got that right this song is so extremely sad it’s the ultimate depression.
It's more than only a joke. It can be about action, step, anything you do that went wrong.
It's about a misfit, who thinks he is in control but is unaware that he has no control at all, the joke's on him but it takes him a long time to realise. He gets everything wrong. It's nothing to do with Jesus or George Bush, it's just a sad song about some guy feeling sorry for himself.
@happyphantom So, since the no control at all ultimately goes for every one of us... it is not sad, it is quite high. Give up control (ego) and the world starts living.
I think it's about a guy that created a facade, pretending to be stoic and cold hearted. So he hurt everyone around, but the one really suffering was him. But he can't start expressing his feelings again, 'cause if he breakdown the whole thing will crumble, and they'll call him weak and laugh at him. So he goes on pretending, feeling awful inside, thinking about it over and over. The part of he dying can have, for me, two meanings. 1) He decides to change and finally start living. 2) He goes away from his friends/family, 'cause the only thing he is doing is hurting them.
Just guessing, of course.
I think its about a person who realizes in a dream that he has been nothing but a force for unhappiness in the lives of those around him. In his dream he dies and realizes that if he has alienated everyone and if he doesn't change everyone will be happy when he's dead.
It's about Karma! It is when we are playing a joke and you are fooling others for your own pleasure, but then the Joke come back to you and you end up being the victim of the joke you started Joke. It means that everything we do comes around to us and we should be careful if we don't end up being victims of our own thoughts, words, and actions.
I think that humanity is starting receiving their karma. Much more pain is on the way. We have been playing jokes but what goes around comes around. Humanity showed no respect for life and now the Karma is right here and has a debt that has to be paid.
OK I have this crazy theory i came up with when I was completely stoned but even now I can see that, so I have to share it with you - I think that maybe the song was written about Hitler, but in an elegant way - he started something the is in a way a complete joke, which started the whole world crying (ok most of the world:)), Then he strated to cry, when the germans started to lose the war, and ofcoure (almost) everyone was happy, and than when Hitler died and the war was over people could start living again. I dont know if any of you can see that but if you can msg me back and let me know :)
like i said in one of my other comments, you came real close to the hypothesis i heard. i think it's about the devil but you hit the nail on the head about hitler and all, i think that could be absolutely right.
yOU JUST SAID WHAT (mary_jo) SAID... BUT WITH SOME OTHER A-HOLE
I think it was about Hitler too - and I am not stoned<br />
@yamyamyam yamy, the Hitler connection was the best idea I had too. Especially the death thing--I died and the world lived. Could be that the songwriter just had a phrase in his head and built on it (as I think often happens with these mysterious songs). I would hate to think that such profound lyrics have no meaning, though.