"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.
The days are okay
I watch the TV in the afternoons
If I get lonely,
The sound of other voices,
Other rooms are near to me
I'm not afraid
The operator,
She tells the time,
It's good for a laugh
There's always radio,
And for a dime I can
Talk to God - Dial-a-Prayer
Are you there?
Do you care?
Are you there?
And in the winter,
Extra blankets for the cold
Fix the heater, getting old
I am wiser now, you know
And still as big a fool concerning you
I met your friend
She's very nice, what can I say?
It was an accident
I never dreamed we'd meet again this way
You're looking well
I'm not afraid
You have a lovely home
Just like a picture.
No, I live alone
I found it easier
You must remember how
I never liked the party life
Up all night
Lovely wife
You have a lovely wife
And in the winter
Extra blankets for the cold
Fix the heater, getting old
You are with her now, I know
I'll live alone forever
Not together now
I watch the TV in the afternoons
If I get lonely,
The sound of other voices,
Other rooms are near to me
I'm not afraid
The operator,
She tells the time,
It's good for a laugh
There's always radio,
And for a dime I can
Talk to God - Dial-a-Prayer
Are you there?
Do you care?
Are you there?
And in the winter,
Extra blankets for the cold
Fix the heater, getting old
I am wiser now, you know
And still as big a fool concerning you
I met your friend
She's very nice, what can I say?
It was an accident
I never dreamed we'd meet again this way
You're looking well
I'm not afraid
You have a lovely home
Just like a picture.
No, I live alone
I found it easier
You must remember how
I never liked the party life
Up all night
Lovely wife
You have a lovely wife
And in the winter
Extra blankets for the cold
Fix the heater, getting old
You are with her now, I know
I'll live alone forever
Not together now
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
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.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
absolutely beautiful song! too little lyrics from janis ian here! i started adding yesterday, but got sick of it maybe i'll continue one of these days. Keep em coming, and post!
brilliant song.... my older sister had this album and played it constantly....
I just wanted to comment this is an incredible song - how she spends the entire song with her half of a smalltalk dialogue (and some streaming thought) but manages to convey a lifetime of emotion and mundane experience.
yeah, a very incredile song.
Reminds me a lot of Adele's "Someone Like You".
It's a song of a girl who, after all these years, is still in love with the one who broke her heart. She is happy for how his life turned out, but still feels so insecure and lonely inside, but doesn't show it when they run into each other.
Probably my favourite janis ian song. Heartbreaking, So much said in two and a half minutes The line 'No, I live alone' says it all for me. Perfect !
Before Alanis Morrisette's scathing lyrics there was Janis Ian