"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.
Yeah
Yes
I wanna be as free as the spirits of those who left
I'm talkin' Malcolm, Coltrane, my man Yusef
Through death grew conception, new breath and resurrection
For moms, new steps in a direction, in the right way
Told her, "Inside is where the fight lay
And everything a nigga do may not be what he might say"
Chicago nights stay, stay on the mind
But I write many lives, they lay on these lines
Wavin' signs of the times
Many say the grind's on the mind
Shorties blunted-eyed and everyone wanna rhyme
Bush pushing lies, killers immortalized
We got arms but won't reach for the skies
Waiting for the Lord to rise
I look into my daughter's eyes
And realize I'ma learn through her
The Messiah might even return through her
If I'ma do it, I gotta change the world through her
Furs and a Benz, gramps wantin 'em
Demons and old friends, pops, they hauntin' him
The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun
Where drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones
Walk like warriors, we were never told to run
Explored the world to return to where my soul begun
Never looking back, or too far in front of me
The present is a gift, and I just wanna be (be, be, be, be)
Yes
I wanna be as free as the spirits of those who left
I'm talkin' Malcolm, Coltrane, my man Yusef
Through death grew conception, new breath and resurrection
For moms, new steps in a direction, in the right way
Told her, "Inside is where the fight lay
And everything a nigga do may not be what he might say"
Chicago nights stay, stay on the mind
But I write many lives, they lay on these lines
Wavin' signs of the times
Many say the grind's on the mind
Shorties blunted-eyed and everyone wanna rhyme
Bush pushing lies, killers immortalized
We got arms but won't reach for the skies
Waiting for the Lord to rise
I look into my daughter's eyes
And realize I'ma learn through her
The Messiah might even return through her
If I'ma do it, I gotta change the world through her
Furs and a Benz, gramps wantin 'em
Demons and old friends, pops, they hauntin' him
The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun
Where drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones
Walk like warriors, we were never told to run
Explored the world to return to where my soul begun
Never looking back, or too far in front of me
The present is a gift, and I just wanna be (be, be, be, be)
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Be (Intro) Lyrics as written by Choker Campbell Lonnie Rashid Lynn
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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
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.
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 believe the song simply discusses how he wants to be free from the burdens of everyday life.Whether it is war , drugs , the future of hip hop , we must not let these things bring us down . That one must not worry about the past , nor focus too much on what the future holds , but instead realize that the present is a blessing and that we must cherish it
I love Common! The poetic vibe he brings to a track is unmatched! Does anyone know if he's talking about the poet Yusef in line 2 or someone else?
I'm pretty sure the song is a reference to Yusef Hawkins - a unknowing martyr In the summer of 1989, when Yusef Hawkins, a 16-year-old African American from Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, visited the mostly white Bensonhurst neighborhood in the borough, a mob of white youth killed him.
i dont kno about hawkins. i thought the line was refering to yusef lateef. i could be wrong. but i dont think the whole song is an ode to either of them.
im not sure excatly what its about. it might be an ode to the state of hiphop.
"we got arems but won;t reach for the skies" "when drunk nights get remembered more than the sober ones" he might be saying how hiphop is underachieving in this "club" era. im not sure bout the rest though.
the other lines seem to refer to the state of life in general. "bush pushing lies, killers immortalized"
through all this he just wants to be. he doesnt want to have to deal witht the chaos.
im not sure. i wish more people would post.
i believe the song simply discusses how he wants to be free from the burdens of everyday life.Whether it is war , drugs , the future of hip hop , we must not let these things bring us down . That one must not worry about the past , nor focus too much on what the future holds , but instead realize that the present is a blessing and that we must cherish it
Yeah... Yes...
I wanna be as free as the spirits of those who left I'm talkin' Malcolm, Coltrane, my man Yusef Through death grew conception, new breath and resurrection For moms, new steps in her direction, in the right way Told inside Chi where the fight lay And everything a nigga do may not be what he might say Chicago nights stay, stay on the mind But I write many lives, they lay on these lines Way besides of the times Many say the grind's on the mind Shorties blunted-out and everyone wanna rhyme, Bush pushing lies, killers immortalized, We got arms but won't reach for the skies Waiting for the Lord to rise I look into my daughter's eyes And realize I'ma learn through her The Messiah, might even return through her If I'ma do it, I gotta change the world through her Furs and a Benz, Gramps wantin 'em Demons and old friends, Pops they hauntin' him The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun When drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones Walk like warriors, we were never told to run Explored the world to return to where my soul begun Never looking back or too far in front of me The present is a gift, and I just wanna BE
That question about the Drunk nights...
Hes talking about getting drunk and having a good time that was remembered even though it is common (fukk puns) for people to blakk out and not remember.
Common..!
best song ever
He's referring to Maleek Yusef, a contemporary poet/rapper, I'm nearly certain.
i don't think it's either malik or yusef lateef.. because they're both alive, and he's clearly referring to "those who left"
no idea who it could be though!
I think K04sk got it on the nail. I don't believe this song is really effective on people just listening to it. But when you're happy and listen to it than that third part of the beat comes in and you feel it within your soul and happiness just spreads all throughout you and you get yourself on a happy high. I mean he just wants to Be and i found pure happiness in this song right now.