"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.
And you stare at me
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
Like you've been carrying a load
And you swear to me
You don't want to be my slave
But you're staring at me
Like I, like I need to be saved
Saved, like I need to be saved
Saved
In your Jesus Christ pose
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out, in your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the Lord
And I swear to you
That I would never feed you pain
But your staring at me
Like I, like I'm driving the nails, nails
Like I'm driving the nails, nails
Like I'm driving the nails, nails, nails
Like I'm driving the nails, nails
In the Jesus Christ pose
In the Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
In your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the Lord
Would it pain you more to walk on water
Than to wear a crown of thorns?
It wouldn't pain me more to bury you rich
Than to bury you poor
In the Jesus Christ pose
(Poor) in the Jesus Christ pose
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
Like you've been carrying a load
And you swear to me
You don't want to be my slave
But you're staring at me
Like I, like I need to be saved
Saved, like I need to be saved
Saved
In your Jesus Christ pose
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out, in your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the Lord
And I swear to you
That I would never feed you pain
But your staring at me
Like I, like I'm driving the nails, nails
Like I'm driving the nails, nails
Like I'm driving the nails, nails, nails
Like I'm driving the nails, nails
In the Jesus Christ pose
In the Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
In your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the Lord
Would it pain you more to walk on water
Than to wear a crown of thorns?
It wouldn't pain me more to bury you rich
Than to bury you poor
In the Jesus Christ pose
(Poor) in the Jesus Christ pose
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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/
Read this: When asked about the "Jesus Christ Pose" itself, Chris says: "You just see it a lot with really beautiful people, or famous people, exploiting that symbol as to imply that they're either a deity or persecuted somehow by their public. So it's pretty much a song that is nonreligious but expressing being irritated by seeing that. It's not that I would ever be offended by what someone would do with that symbol."
true... i think that, in the most general way, it's about people (specially famous) that take a pose of victimism, of being unfairly persecuted (like christ) to justify themselves when they're criticized
yes!!
it can also be about all the other rockstars pretending to be jesus onstage and making poses like him (Scott Stapp should take a hint)
It's all about Chris Cornell's hatred for male models. In an interview he gave on MTV, he said that the band where looking through some magazines, and found the whole imagery used in Calvin Klein, Versace ads etc was very distasteful. If you listen to the lyrics, you can make sense of it now. It's all about how the models are posed to look like Demi-Gods, powerful yet weak etc. Hope this helps..
That's pretty ironic considering where Chris's career has ended up.
I just wanted to say that Chris Cornell's vocal range, particularly in this song, is unbelieveably impressive - I can't even falsetta that scream he does at the end by singing with a NORMAL singing voice (as opposed to falsetta). That's INCREDIBLE.
A SONG ABOUT MANIPULATION This song is clearly NOT religious; Jesus is the symbol exploited by OTHERS, not Chris Cornell. I agree with the ideas expressed in previous posts that this is about those who claim to be martyrs to be superior, a kind of manipulation. Sure, the song could have been written about advertising models, but I think it has a more general interpretation, one that could be clarified with an example.
HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION Let me give hypothetical situation. This song could represent a woman who claims to be suffering, who claims to need you, but at the same time seems to be superior to you. She holds our her arms compassionately, but really, she has intentions of control, telling you what to do, what feel. We feel sympathy for her, and we give in to her demands, but she really has other goals. She uses her seemingly vulnerable situation to get us to do things we might not otherwise do.
I suspect there are others out there who've experienced this kind of manipulation...
Religion is a nice conduit for pathological liars. Your hypothetical situation was my life 5 years ago..
@TJsmarts dude this sounds pretty right on. honestly, I never really thought of it like that before...or picked this up from the lyrics...but that makes a ton of fucking sense dude.<br /> <br /> anyhow - um, to add to what you;'re saying here about the manipulation aspect in your 'hypothetical situation' - which I truly think is exactly what's going on here...let me add in another element. possibly, these other goals ARE manipulation, despite her seeming sweet and nice and holding her arms out for a hug or to say the Our Father at mass or being vulnerable and open - all good things, right? but maybe, the manipulation - was the goal, very possibly dark energetic manipulation such as black magic or witchcraft - which was completely lied about in her efforts to be sweet and loving to cover this shit up even tho she was evil AF - people present themselves differently with bad intentions a lot - we have all experienced this. anywho, maybe her expertise in witchcraft or whatever - allowed for her to think that she WAS God, which - of course - isn't true, I don't care how connected you are with dark occult magic. God made demons, therefore - he can take them away if we discern correctly & follow his will, right? Um. Duh. So, it's possible that this woman has so much 'power' due to satanism and dark manipulation experience - that she's tooting her own horn in a way and acting as a false god. which, NOPE. that only leads downward. I don't care how many demons you know.
Nice.. Given the whole heroin thing, as others have commented on with slaves and bulldozers and burden in my hand. This would appear to be about a heroin dealer telling the addict that, A, I have no heroin for you (addict throws his arms out...) or, B, I'm not selling heroin anymore (addict throws his arms out...)
Staring at me like I'm driving the nails.. I'm not making you shoot up.. (nails represent syringes) I sell the drugs, but it's your fault you're addicted.
Would it pain your more to walk on water than to wear a crown of thorns? = From other posts on this site I believe every reference Chris makes to water is about heroin (that's what it looks like in a syringe), so to walk on water, is to rise above the heroin (the addiction) and to use it. Most dealers only sell to support their own habit.
I just wonder if this stuff is written from a 3rd person perspective or from real life experience..
From what I can see, the vast majority of soundgarden songs are about heroin.. I still love it all though..
I think this could be a few different things including fake victimization and manipulation but I also have a few ideas.
My first idea is hypocrisy. Someone in Jesus Christ pose is unfairly accusing someone of causing their pain.
My second is people like Jehovah's witnessea. He's tired of them coming and saying he needs to come to the light, change, etc.
where do i find out what this song is trying to say ?
youtube.com/watch enjoy and love it loud
It always sounded to me that this song was about someone giving their life for you, but you don't want to lose them. I do agree with the other posts though.