"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.
So rapid the raptors, as coursers they came
all the scratching and screaming, I barely escaped
while the fuel cells they drained far too fast, I am dragged
like worms on a hook through the hole to the blackness beyond
at the end of days, where the world bleeds and burns
The sun is black as sackcloth made of hair
the stars have fallen to the Earth,
mountains tearing from the ground
Look at these people hiding from the red raindrops
while earthquakes shake the broken time of this burning town
There's poison in the water,
the ocean's blood that turned to slime and gotten hard
all the fish and whales are corpses on the scab
in the darkness soldiers gnaw their tongues in pain, you see
so help me God, at the end of time
they're screaming on their knees
oh let them die! oh let them die!
[CHORUS]
"The wrath of the Lamb!" the martyrs cry
"break the seven seals, let the horsemen ride!"
The soldiers bear the royal crest and scream into the sky
"He will come He will come! the Dragon's on the rise!"
"The King survived though his throat was cut,
they say he's the chosen one
He leads our men from Babylon, the rebellion's worldly son
Against the Tyrant, we have joined with him as soldiers."
He tells me this while he shakes a bit - he's staring at his gun
The painful stings of flying things have worn away his flesh
and popped at his eyes
At the blackness, he lashed out and cries:
"You cowards and your wrathful God will see what power means
when the Dragon comes - His will be done - in the fires you'll be cleaned,
Oh let him rise!
Oh let him rise!"
[CHORUS]
I watch these people fall
the dragon shrieks and burns it all
I flip the circuits on, I've got dragons of my own
The portal glows and my machine's destroyed
"The Traveler has saved their souls from the Destroyer of Worlds
Then why does his heart still scream? Rise and speak."
I couldn't save her, I know she will die
But please, if I could only tell her goodbye
All I want is just one more day
that morning in May...
I've fought reptilian monsters
I've crossed a bloody sea
just to meet you here
and now i'm coming home, my dear
the light is warm, outside at dawn
the garden has no weeds, no grave beneath the tree
through the silent house, my love after all
Curled up in a ball
there you are...
all the scratching and screaming, I barely escaped
while the fuel cells they drained far too fast, I am dragged
like worms on a hook through the hole to the blackness beyond
at the end of days, where the world bleeds and burns
The sun is black as sackcloth made of hair
the stars have fallen to the Earth,
mountains tearing from the ground
Look at these people hiding from the red raindrops
while earthquakes shake the broken time of this burning town
There's poison in the water,
the ocean's blood that turned to slime and gotten hard
all the fish and whales are corpses on the scab
in the darkness soldiers gnaw their tongues in pain, you see
so help me God, at the end of time
they're screaming on their knees
oh let them die! oh let them die!
[CHORUS]
"The wrath of the Lamb!" the martyrs cry
"break the seven seals, let the horsemen ride!"
The soldiers bear the royal crest and scream into the sky
"He will come He will come! the Dragon's on the rise!"
"The King survived though his throat was cut,
they say he's the chosen one
He leads our men from Babylon, the rebellion's worldly son
Against the Tyrant, we have joined with him as soldiers."
He tells me this while he shakes a bit - he's staring at his gun
The painful stings of flying things have worn away his flesh
and popped at his eyes
At the blackness, he lashed out and cries:
"You cowards and your wrathful God will see what power means
when the Dragon comes - His will be done - in the fires you'll be cleaned,
Oh let him rise!
Oh let him rise!"
[CHORUS]
I watch these people fall
the dragon shrieks and burns it all
I flip the circuits on, I've got dragons of my own
The portal glows and my machine's destroyed
"The Traveler has saved their souls from the Destroyer of Worlds
Then why does his heart still scream? Rise and speak."
I couldn't save her, I know she will die
But please, if I could only tell her goodbye
All I want is just one more day
that morning in May...
I've fought reptilian monsters
I've crossed a bloody sea
just to meet you here
and now i'm coming home, my dear
the light is warm, outside at dawn
the garden has no weeds, no grave beneath the tree
through the silent house, my love after all
Curled up in a ball
there you are...
Lyrics submitted by guitaress
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
The album is simpler than people are making it. It's brilliant, but Andrew (Lead singer and writer for Ludo) is a straight-forward writer. I will clarify the important stuff:
Part 1, Broken Bride- The Traveler has been struggling for fifteen years to build a time machine, and finally comes to the night when he will attempt to use it to save his dead wife - who died in a car crash in 1989. It malfunctions, and he is sent to prehistoric times. He is attacked by dinosaurs and retreats safely inside a cave.
Save our City- Meanwhile, after the Travelers departure, humanity is assaulted by zombies, King Simius (a kind of anti-Christ) and the imminent end of the world.
Part 2, Tonight's the Night- The Traveler has been trapped in his cave and basically chances the raptors and makes an attempt to get to his machine and try to save his wife once more.
Part 3, The Lamb and the Dragon- Barely escaping the predators, The Traveler starts the machine and once again it malfunctions, sending him all the way to the apocalypse - which had started in "Save our city". King Simius summons (an assumption on my part) The Dragon, which unleashes destruction upon the last of humanity. The Traveler, witnessing the awful events around him, makes a decision to sacrifice his time machine to save the world, and uses "his own dragon" to zap the Beast to another time - destroying the machine in the process. The Traveler is then visited by some kind of celestial beings (angels or the like), who are confused at his broken heart. He tells them of his sorrow at not being able to prevent his wife's death in the end. In payment of saving humanity, the celestials send him back to May, 1989, the last morning he spent with her...
Part 4, Morning in May- The Traveler finally sees his sleeping wife again after all of his effort and strife, and lies down with her. Soon though, she readies herself and leaves for her fateful car ride. Terrified that her fate will only repeat itself, he stops her from leaving at the last moment and gets in the car with her. Like before, the accident happens, and the Traveler dies with his wife.
Thus, concluding what is likely the best album written in the history of music.
love love love.
this whole album is genius. i have never heard anything so clever.
Okay, so I need a bit of help with this one. From what I gather, 'TheTraveler' fixes the time machine, just barely escaping raptors that were attacking him. But he crashes again in another time.
I just don't know where, and exactly what happens?
I AGREE! This album is the most beautiful thing i have ever heard.
nice summary!
when he says curled up in a ball
i think of sara's song.
we went over revelations today in my religion class and on the board the professor wrote "the lamb and the dragon"
it made me smile :)
wow. i know this is all about the time traveler. but the fact that he put so much biblical meaning into this song shows his real appreciation of his writing. the seven seals are broken, the moon is blood red, the 4 horsemen, pestilence, war, famine, and death. the king represents the antichrist. everyone is trusting him because his words are so convincing, and he is said to be the chosen one because he survives a fatal accident. the antichrist summons the dragon, who roams the earth for the rest of eternity and puts everyone in misery and torture. except this guy saved them all. what a bad ass.
I'm not entirely sure if this was intentional, but it could be argued that our Time Traveler was the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. The rapture means the end of the world (era), but I guess it didn't matter which, as long as it brought about the extinction of something.
What gave me this idea:
"I flip the circuits on, I've got dragons of my own The portal glows and my machine's destroyed"
I'm leaning heavily on 'I've got dragons of my own.' He stumbled into the end of the world right after running away from raptors. It's been noted that he sent the Dragon to another time before the machine exploded. I say he set the Dragon on the dinosaurs, thus bringing about their extinction.
You read it here first.
it took me forever to realize... and i might be wrong... but i think this whole album is kinda one big crazy way to say that, no matter how much shit you have to go through in a relationship, there will always be that one moment you spend with your loved one that makes it all worth it. like in part 4, when he curls up next to her. he went through everything, the dinosaurs, the zombies, everything, just for that one moment with her. but it was worth it. :)