"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.
One, two
One, two, three, four
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will it's just a question of when
I've lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
Now I know you're an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
But I can't offer you proof
But you're going to face a moment of truth
It's hard when you're always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It's a matter of trust
You can't go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God's sake don't shut me out
This time you've got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it, whatever you choose
I won't hold back anything
And I'll walk away a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It's make believe until it's only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust
I'm sure you're aware love
We've both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong
Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you've heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
It's a matter of trust
It's always been a matter of trust
It's a matter of trust
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
One, two, three, four
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will it's just a question of when
I've lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned
But that won't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
Now I know you're an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
But I can't offer you proof
But you're going to face a moment of truth
It's hard when you're always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It's a matter of trust
You can't go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God's sake don't shut me out
This time you've got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it, whatever you choose
I won't hold back anything
And I'll walk away a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It's make believe until it's only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust
I'm sure you're aware love
We've both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong
Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you've heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
It's a matter of trust
It's always been a matter of trust
It's a matter of trust
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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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.
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,
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I like all the reviews made before, but I miss one small thing, that the first time I heard this song in 1986 really cracked me up and got all my attention and put me heels over head when I came to know the Billy Joel (much) expected new work: The beginning of the song A MATTER OF TRUST:
"A... one, a... two, a... one two three four...."
I was totally raptured within only five seconds. I was totally won... again. That's mastery. Only the biggest ones can do this. The rest of the song I was so in shock, that even today can't go over that euphorical -whatever- sensation, that those five words in his voice do to me.
A guy is proposing to his girl. He is persuading her to go for it in the face of her fear of getting burned. He argues that the trust they have in each other should be reason enough to "go the distance". One can infer that "the distance" is sex, but I think it is marriage. Trust will outlast all of the other kinds of love he mentions and therefore will give them a strong foundation for a successful marriage.
Billy is talking about the different kind of loves he's seen in here. There are the ones with the fiery beginnings that burn out and such. But he's telling this woman that those aren't him and her, he's saying for them they just can't seem to trust eachother because they've both been hurt before. Especially the girl.
@Good OL MC spot on. We've all been here before - we have difficult trusting people in the present because of whatever's happened in our past.
kay well pretty much hes convincing her to take a risk and trust him even though shes been hurt before and cant trust people anymore. Im like that too you know I cant trust people and it makes it near impossible to have a relationship with someone, nevermind a healthy one. Its really hard. "the closer you get to the fire the more you get burned"...keep in mind that the further away you get the more you get cold
I was raised by music. billy joel mostly. and this song has gotten my through anything. I can apply it to any relationship in my life.
You can't love someone you can't trust, and this is such a great song btw
He's trying to make her see that they've both been there and done that and can (or have) learned from the relationships of the past. If they are open and trust each other it can work this time. She's obviously been hurt a lot and he wants to reassure her. My fave lines: "I won't hold back anything/And I'll walk away a fool or a king."
I'm sure you're aware love We've both had our share of Believing too long When the whole situation was wrong
Some love is just a lie of the soul A constant battle for the ultimate state of control After you've heard lie upon lie There can hardly be a question of why Some love is just a lie of the heart The cold remains of what began with a passionate start But that can't happen to us Because it's always been a matter of trust
Love to know what you're up to .... What? You know what ...
a true song about being in love many times, and finally finding the "right one"
this is one of billy joel's best! i love this song and the above poster said i can relate it to almost any relationship in my life. i felt like he was talking to me with this verse:
I know you're an emotional girl It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world I can't offer you proof But you're gonna face a moment of truth It's hard when you're always afraid You just recover when another belief is betrayed So break my heart if you must It's a matter of trust