"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.
Hand over hand up the lifeline, luckily the knots stay tight.
Silhouettes of the two of us climbing,
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Trapped in a room in a fortress,
Running outta air to breathe.
Only seconds to go and we'll break free,
I didn't think that we would reach.
Only the two of us can disconnect the bomb.
And save ourselves before the oxygen is gone.
I'll call for backup, you start to scream.
It's not the first time we've been in this dream.
She ripped the wings right off my back.
She whispered deep, keep it on the track.
She said you're no angel, no angel anymore.
All the wheels are coming loose.
Close-up shot of a burning fuse.
The sky is filled with question marks.
Will the chains come apart?
These few seconds that I've left to go.
Flames and chaos down below.
And the earth opens wide.
Got to climb a rope on fire.
Look at the clock. Look at the clock.
Make it to the car but the car won't start.
Me try to move the car but there's no more time.
We'll have to climb a rope on fire.
Hand over hand up the lifeline,
Luckily the knots stay tight.
Silhouettes of the two of us climbing,
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Only the two of us can disconnect the bomb.
Then save ourselves before the oxygen is gone.
I'll call for backup. You start to scream.
It's not the first time we've been in this dream.
Silhouettes of the two of us climbing,
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Trapped in a room in a fortress,
Running outta air to breathe.
Only seconds to go and we'll break free,
I didn't think that we would reach.
Only the two of us can disconnect the bomb.
And save ourselves before the oxygen is gone.
I'll call for backup, you start to scream.
It's not the first time we've been in this dream.
She ripped the wings right off my back.
She whispered deep, keep it on the track.
She said you're no angel, no angel anymore.
All the wheels are coming loose.
Close-up shot of a burning fuse.
The sky is filled with question marks.
Will the chains come apart?
These few seconds that I've left to go.
Flames and chaos down below.
And the earth opens wide.
Got to climb a rope on fire.
Look at the clock. Look at the clock.
Make it to the car but the car won't start.
Me try to move the car but there's no more time.
We'll have to climb a rope on fire.
Hand over hand up the lifeline,
Luckily the knots stay tight.
Silhouettes of the two of us climbing,
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Climbing up a rope on fire.
Only the two of us can disconnect the bomb.
Then save ourselves before the oxygen is gone.
I'll call for backup. You start to scream.
It's not the first time we've been in this dream.
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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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"
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Many interpretations that's why this song is sooooo good. For me, it's about passion, maybe something that's not completely "by the book", hence the ripped wings and no angel... And this eastern sound, definitly adds to the meaning of doing something out of the ordinary...
I think this is one the best song Sandman ever wrote. Too bad this is one of the last one's too, makes me kind of sentimental thinking that this genious work will never be appreciated.
This song could actually work as some kind of action movie, allthough that might not have been quite what Mark had in mind.. It could be a statement saying that two spefific persons are so ment for each other that only they could live perfectly together, this seen from one's side of view. "She rippet the wings right off my back, she said you're no angel, no angel anymore" could indicate that the other part doesn't really feel the same way about the other person as he does about himself, which is backed up by the last sentence in the chorus; "It's not the first time we've been in this dream."
So I think it wouldn't be wrong to say that this is a love-gone-bad story either.. but I don't think this is the actual meaning of the song either, as it has a lot of "storylines" which doesn't fit in with this love gone bad concept.