"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.
One track mind, like a goldfish
Stuck inside my petri dish
I can't breathe, and I can't smile
This better be worth my while
I feel numb most of the time
Lower I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I got dark only to shine
Looking for the golden life
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
C-C-C-Cry
Forggle families, foggle friends
That's how it started, and how it ends
I can't open up and cry, 'cause I've been silent all my life
I feel numb most of the time
The more I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I get dark only
To shine
Looking for the golden light
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
C-C-C-Cry
C-C-C-Cry
Ooh, I get dark
Oh, and I'm in hell
I need a friend
Ooh, but I can't yell
Yeah, I'm no good
No good to anyone
'Cause all I care about
Is being number one
Shine
Looking for the golden light
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
Shine
Looking for the golden light
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
Sacrifice
I feel numb most of the time
The more I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I get dark only
To shine
And I'll light up the sky
Stars that burn the brightest
Fall so fast and pass you by
Puff like empty lighters
I feel numb most of the time
The more I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I got dark only
To shine
And I'll light up the sky
Stars that burn the brightest
Fall so fast and pass you by
Spark like empty lighters
Dum dum dum, duh dah da
Stuck inside my petri dish
I can't breathe, and I can't smile
This better be worth my while
I feel numb most of the time
Lower I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I got dark only to shine
Looking for the golden life
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
C-C-C-Cry
Forggle families, foggle friends
That's how it started, and how it ends
I can't open up and cry, 'cause I've been silent all my life
I feel numb most of the time
The more I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I get dark only
To shine
Looking for the golden light
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
C-C-C-Cry
C-C-C-Cry
Ooh, I get dark
Oh, and I'm in hell
I need a friend
Ooh, but I can't yell
Yeah, I'm no good
No good to anyone
'Cause all I care about
Is being number one
Shine
Looking for the golden light
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
Shine
Looking for the golden light
Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice
Sacrifice
I feel numb most of the time
The more I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I get dark only
To shine
And I'll light up the sky
Stars that burn the brightest
Fall so fast and pass you by
Puff like empty lighters
I feel numb most of the time
The more I get the higher
I'll climb, and I will wonder why
I got dark only
To shine
And I'll light up the sky
Stars that burn the brightest
Fall so fast and pass you by
Spark like empty lighters
Dum dum dum, duh dah da
Lyrics submitted by florencefan, edited by izzybella5, meekadai, Spazatron, Victoriaset, burke828, charlenza, BAM98562144, DanVitaleRocks
Numb Lyrics as written by Marina Lambrini Diamandis
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
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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"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
This song is bloody amazing. You hear all these ballads from other pop artists that are out today and they are good, but they havn't got a scratch on this one. I love you Marina :)
some corrections..
One track mind, like a goldfish, Stuck inside my petri dish
I feel numb most of the time, The lower I get the higher, I'll climb, and I will wonder why, I got dark only, To shine. Looking for the golden light, Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice.
Forego family, forego friends, That's how it started, and how it ends, I can't open up and cry, 'cause I've been silent all my life.
i think it's petri dish, not pantry dish. (:
Marina said her self that this song is about social awkwardness and the hole album is analyzing success.
With those two points its easier to understand the chorus
I feel numb most of the time, The more I get the higher, I'll climb, and I will wonder why, I get dark only, To shine. Looking for the golden light, Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice.
She is climbing the ranks of stardom and wonders "why" "I get dark" refers to her social standing with her family and friends- she dosen't have any traditional friends and she closed them out which she thinks is a reasonable sacrifice for working so hard to shine as a super star.
but later she sings:
And I'll light up the sky, Stars that burn the brightest, Fall so fast and pass you by, Spark like empty lighters.
this basically gives us the "why?" she is asking. It questions what she actually got- she's lighting up the sky but who knows how long that will last- and it might just "pass you by" not be spectacular enough for it to have warranted the effort.
To me this song means quite a lot it seems to describe how I feel most of the time. I agree with the comments about depression but would like to add that I think it relates a lot to how i feel with Bi polar disorder where I am up one minute and as low as can be the next. When I'm hyper I feel invincible as in 'I get dark only to shine' and 'all I care 'bout is being number one' and don't care about anything or anyone but when I'm down its like 'I can't breathe, and I can't smile, This better be worth my while' and reasoning with myself that 'Looking for the golden light, Oh, it's a reasonable sacrifice' Maybe I'm wrong but hey ho there you go. The song has helped me a lot though and for that Marina I am grateful lol
i suffer from bipolar too and was ashamed, marina suffering from the same symptoms has really helped me deal with it and now i'm not ashamed anymore, she is my idol and a wonderful role model
I was just about to say the same thing, it describes it perfectly. I know that even when I feel like shit(forgive my language) that I'm going to feel high as a kite with energy eventually afterwards. Hence "I feel numb most of the time. The more I get the higher I'll climb, and I'll wonder why, I got dark only to shine".
I feel numb most of the time, The more I get the higher, I'll climb, and I will wonder why, I got dark only, To shine. And I'll light up the sky, Stars that burn the brightest, Fall so fast and pass you by, Spark like empty lighters.
I loooove this bit. Her voice is absolutely amazing in this song :) I think this song is about stardom rather than depression, although I guess it could always be a bit of both.
I think it's about stardom;
The singer feels empty inside when theyexpect happiness to come with their fame. As they climb the ladder of stardom nothing changes. In the chorus the singer remarks how ironic it is that while they're shining for the whole world to see they feel so low ("I feel numb most of the time, the more I get the higher I'll climb and I will wonder why, I get dark only to shine").
"I can't open up and cry, cause I've been silent all my life" obviously means the person doesn't know how to show their feelings, so they bottle it up.
"Ooh I get dark ohh and I'm in hell, I need a friend ooh but I can't yell" is again the singer unable to properly show their feelings, even in the darkest hours.
"Yeah I'm no good no good to anyone, cause all I care about is being number one" they push aside everythig else to react that goal of fame, in a hope that maybe this time it'll bring happiness.
"And I'll light up the sky, stars that burn the brightest fall so fast and pass you by, spark like empty lighters" means that though now the singer is a budding star, it won't last and they'll soon be forgotten like all the others.
the whole album is really hinging on this idea of success and striving for it. its insatiable. this song epitomizes this. It is about more than stardom or fame. I would even say that has little to do with this at all. it is about her personality and her desire to be the best and to achieve her dreams. she has left people behind because she is so focussed. she is constantly searching for more. - "looking for the golden light". <br /> <br /> she feels numb because she is "one track mind". she rationalizes it to be a "reasonable sacrifice". The more she achieves the more numb she becomes - she wants more. <br /> <br /> I say this is not about stardom or fame because it is not to be boiled down to celebrity life. this is happening to her because of who she is, not because she has become a celebrity. it is people all over the world who go through it. this song is her regardless of if she is famous or not.
^ The way she writes her songs, there is more than one interpritation. They have meaning on a personal level, but also apply to other things. Like Mowgli's Road, it was about her having to choose between being a mainstream singer and something lesser know, but it apllies to choices in general.<br /> <br /> Plus, isn't stardom part of her dreams? She has said she used to be hung up on it all, wanted to be a big pop star, and "Oh No!" is certainly about sucess. So if this is applying to her dreams and need to be the best, it applies to her fame too.
fucking absolutely BEAUTIFUL. omg. kinda sounds like Tori Amos. but better. (: love it.
I'm pretty sure this song is about depression, how it makes you numb and incapable of feeling and about being driven to search for stardom as an (albeit extreme) way of overcoming it. The sacrifices along the way are worth it, if only to feel better and escape the numbness of depression for just a short time.
I agree she does remind me of Tori, but as for being better, ha, hmm...<br /> But I do think she has the definite potential to reach Tori's level
I'm pretty sure this song is about depression, how it makes you numb and incapable of feeling and about being driven to search for stardom as an (albeit extreme) way of overcoming it. The sacrifices along the way are worth it, if only to feel better and escape the numbness of depression for just a short time.
(ok, call me dim, I meant to post this as a general comment not a reply. Sorry for the repetition)
it's ok
i totally agree with IsoT.
"rootless" is the way i feel like for many months, i'm listening now all the time, just glad, that i'm not the only one feeling like that. -marina i love you only for that song!) i was wondering, WHY i am that rootless... and it's just 20 minutes ago, when i realized, if it could be my own fault, cause i was trying to reach the bottom, just like in fight club- (free from everything that could own me).
and i think that's why "numb" is the song after "rootless"-
"Forgo families, forgo friends, That's how it started, and how it ends, I can't open up and cry, 'cause i've been saddened all my life."
that's where ia am now. i can count the friends i have on one hand (while smoking a cigarette)