"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.
Broken down like a war economy
Father Führer, don't be mad at me
Peasant child, you're into botany
Splitting necks and calling it dichotomy
"Beware", the sign on the door suggests
I'm better off with artificial intelligence
I invented you
I invented you
And I will destroy you
If you catch me with my hands in the till
I promise, sugar, I wasn't trying to steal
I'm just swimming in copper
To smell and pretend
Like a robot
Well, if a leopard doesn't change it's spots
You can't change my perceptions just from dots to dots
I swap the bruising for a bumping sensation
I'll be Ctrl-Alt-deleting your face with no reservations
And we'll stop fighting once your circuit board's igniting
Singing, I'm not finished, I'm not finished, no
Mistaking cables for veins can be quite misleading
Friction sparks, the metal made it look like bleeding
If you catch me with my hands in the till
I promise, sugar, I wasn't trying to steal
I'm just swimming in copper
To smell and pretend
Like a robot
Father Führer, don't be mad at me
Peasant child, you're into botany
Splitting necks and calling it dichotomy
"Beware", the sign on the door suggests
I'm better off with artificial intelligence
I invented you
I invented you
And I will destroy you
If you catch me with my hands in the till
I promise, sugar, I wasn't trying to steal
I'm just swimming in copper
To smell and pretend
Like a robot
Well, if a leopard doesn't change it's spots
You can't change my perceptions just from dots to dots
I swap the bruising for a bumping sensation
I'll be Ctrl-Alt-deleting your face with no reservations
And we'll stop fighting once your circuit board's igniting
Singing, I'm not finished, I'm not finished, no
Mistaking cables for veins can be quite misleading
Friction sparks, the metal made it look like bleeding
If you catch me with my hands in the till
I promise, sugar, I wasn't trying to steal
I'm just swimming in copper
To smell and pretend
Like a robot
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
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.
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'll be ctrl-alt-deleting your face with no reservations"
I love this line and this band. Proper good fun.
the video for this song is so epic! its the band recording in a studio, and they are all killed, [death to los campesinos!, you know...] but in fairly unlikely ways: one girl coughs up flowers, another gets impaled by a unicorns horn, gareth gets mauled by kittens [!], other members get killed by confetti, balloons, feathers, rainbows, streamers. its awesome!
but anyway, as to the meaning of the song, all of these seemingly innocuous things come blasting out of the speakers and amps while theyre recording. so, its like technology offers all these things and opportunities that seem really benign and even desirable or actively good but they end up being malicious and homicidal and the death of everyone involved.
! such an amazing band. i cant even properly explain.
isnt it?
"Broken down like the world economy..."
im just not hearing the "you've been"
I feel like the song is like your standard duet songs, singing about a relationship. This particular relationship is..i feel like it's a song about modern relationships where people communicate online, via emails and facebook and videos, etc. Busy people unable to get a lot of face time together, due to school or work or distance. And they're seeing each other as people but so many of the personal details are invented or assumed or lost in the translation from digital to real life and they find themselves filling in the blanks so they can both be happy. Unable to get perfect love, they settle for 'love in a controlled environment'. And when she's communicating with this "person" she made out of bits and pieces, she's being reminded that he actually IS a real person on the other end, so, and the unintended output she's getting from the exchange is frustrating so she'd be better off with Artificial Intelligence, something predictable or controllable.
And the 'hand in the till' bit is him saying, if you see me doing something that makes you unhappy or it seems like I am trying to take advantage, just remember that I'm only human, imperfect, and almost doing what I'm supposed to do in that imperfection, by being selfish. and it's the best I can do right now because I'm limited in a way by my human feelings and needs. I don't really mean to upset you, I'm just trying to work things out and do the best I can with all these feelings and human failings.
And then he's saying 'I am what I am, what if I can't change?' And she says 'You can't fool me by changing superficially. I see you for what you are and maybe you actually kind of suck.' And then he says that he's shutting off his feelings a bit so he doesn't get hurt, and he's also closing the chat window. And she says she'll burn his computer down. Singing "I'm not finished! I'm not finished!" And then the line that takes it back, that the only things that can be hurt are just feelings, and that many "real" relationships are still only like a simulation of love. A game that both people play.
Of course, not included in the song is the part where he sends her a lolcats picture then they kiss and make up.
Gosh it's like geeks in love, it's so cute.
I'm guessing this song is about putting too much faith into machines. It's like you almost forgot the computer (or other technology) isn't real hence mistaking cables for veins and thinking the computer is bleeding.
People always say that technology will be our downfall, so it seems as if Los Campesinos is saying that we created it and we can destroy it if we want to.
I think it's about how technology can really get into your head. Like, the whole, "I'll be ctrl-alt-deleting your face" part? It's like, when you spend too much time with technology, it starts to really mess with you. Like, when I'm reading articles in class, I actually begin to think "ctrl-F!" when I'm trying to find something. It's absurd.
genius!!! triple genius!!!
"I'm better off with artificial intelligence" yeah i think you guy are right that say its about computers taking over the world and shit. :)
"If you catch me with my hands in the till I promise, sugar, I wasn't trying to steal i'm just swimming in copper to smell and pretend like a robot!"
what is a till? some kind of british word? like a money box? and again with computers/ artificial intelligence.
A till is the British word for a cash register
oh, btw. "splitting necks and calling it dichotomy" oh my.
what exactly does "splitting necks" mean?
Splitting the neck of a plant in such a way that it branches off into two flowering heads. They call this dichotomy(!). Gregor Mendel worked with it quite a bit. He's probably the world's most famous botanist.
Till is the same thing as a Cashier, its where you pay for things in a store, when an employee is taking money from their company they refer to them as "having their hand in the till".
I think the line 'I swap the bruising for a bumping sensation' refers to the sanitation of the modern world by technology as it tries to imitate life, like kids just staying at home and playing football video games instead of actually going on and playing them where, god forbid, they could get a bruise!