"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.
You called my name in the dark, called me back to the start
The condensation is building tension
Stubborn silence is formed, around our bodies it's warm
The cool wet grasses as summer passes
Frightened under attack, fallen flat on my back
Arms and legs, I'm too scared to beg
Harm me most when it's light, thought of you don't sit right
I need the darkness a desperate embrace
Razing cities to dust, faces dripping in lust
Fallen empires and raging bush fires
All your words unfounded, secret lives bound in bed
Living backwards and tangled back words
Ruined everything right, so good can't see the light
From my cave I can see the wave, fallen empires and raging bush fires
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
The condensation is building tension
Stubborn silence is formed, around our bodies it's warm
The cool wet grasses as summer passes
Frightened under attack, fallen flat on my back
Arms and legs, I'm too scared to beg
Harm me most when it's light, thought of you don't sit right
I need the darkness a desperate embrace
Razing cities to dust, faces dripping in lust
Fallen empires and raging bush fires
All your words unfounded, secret lives bound in bed
Living backwards and tangled back words
Ruined everything right, so good can't see the light
From my cave I can see the wave, fallen empires and raging bush fires
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light,
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
We are the light, we are the light (run to the fire)
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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,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
any ideas?
no idea wt it means.. but i luv it
Listening to this song I get the sense that somebody has a hold on him. He has given everything to this person and in return has recieved nothing but pain. Everything he had with this person (or thought he had) is no more.
"Ruined everything right So good can't see the light."
Maybe the relationship ended or maybe there wasn't anything there to begin with and he thought there was and now he has retreated to a "cave" of solitude; pulling back from this other person and perhaps everybody else. It is here where he realizes that what they had is no more.
"From my cave I can see the wave Fallen empires and raging bushfires."
You called my name in the dark Called me back to the start The condensation is building tension
A stubborn silence is formed Around our bodies it's warm The cool wet grasses as summer passes
Frightened under attack Fallen flat on my back Arms and legs I’m too scared to beg
You haunt me most when it's light The thought of you don’t sit right I need the darkness a death grip embrace
Raising cities to dust Faces dripping in lust Fallen empires and raging bush fires
All your words confounded Secret lives bound and hid Living backwards in tangled back woods
You ruined everything right So good I can’t see the light From my cave I can see the wave Fallen empires and raging bush fires
Source:snowpatrol.com/discography/default.aspx
Pure sex. I'm usually the last to say so, but I think it's obvious. "The condensation is building tension," "Around our bodies it's warm," "Need the darkness, death grip embrace," "Ruined everything right." This is a poem about a (real or imagined) highly charged sexual relationship/encounter. Desire and fulfillment. It's gorgeously lyrical and roundabout and veiled, but the tension is so real you can feel it.
This song seems to be about a sexual relationship that doesn't feel right to the guy, but he can't say no. He will keep going back to it because it gives him a high, but he knows he'll regret it after. As he always does. Essentially, it's like sex is his drug.