"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.
Another day I call and never speak
And you would say nothing's changed at all
And I can't feel much hope for anything
If I won't be there to catch you if you fall
[Chorus]
Again
It seems we meet
In the spaces
In between
We always say
It won't be long
But something's always wrong
Another game of putting things aside
As if we'll come back to them sometime
A brace of hope
A pride of innocence
And you would say something has gone wrong
[Chorus: x2]
And you would say nothing's changed at all
And I can't feel much hope for anything
If I won't be there to catch you if you fall
[Chorus]
Again
It seems we meet
In the spaces
In between
We always say
It won't be long
But something's always wrong
Another game of putting things aside
As if we'll come back to them sometime
A brace of hope
A pride of innocence
And you would say something has gone wrong
[Chorus: x2]
Lyrics submitted by rabidpenguin, edited by DeaconTint
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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"
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.
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.
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.
Here are the background lyrics (they do fit better when you add these lyrics with the main ones as they are sung
"Again we fail to meet and mend The spaces safe between intents We say too much and long been gone, Oh but something's always wrong."
"Again we fail to make amends And wend our way between intents And looking back, not moving on Oh but something's always wrong."
"Again we fail to meet and mend The spaces safe between intents We say too much, too long been gone Oh but something's always wrong.
Thanks for this. Would be nice if they were put in the main lyrics page perhaps in parentheses.
To kno this makes it hurt me even more
This song is sad to me
This song is about a man who is trying to get in between another man/woman relationship. The woman insists he will break up her current relationship, but something is always wrong and it never happens.
The nothing's changed at all is the apparent breakup attempt. Nothing has happened. The singer does not feel much hope for a new relationship to begin if he cannot be there for her when she falls (has a falling out in her current relationship).
They meet when the woman's current boyfriend is not around, hence the spaces of time in between.
Both claim to want a new relationship together and she promises it won't take long before she breaks up with her current boyfriend, but something is always wrong and nothing ever happens.
The usual shell game. The woman does not want to break it off with her current boyfriend. Puts aside little situations or problems that should be resolved, but she does not.
Whenever there is a tiny chance... she still can't get it to go through. She either still has strong feelings for her current boyfriend or she is using and abusing the singer.
@ckdamascus Yea, I don't think it has anything to do with 3 people. He is in a relationship with no communication and she(?) can't be happy. Been there, I understand exactly what he is saying.
To me this is a song about a near impossible relationship. One in which the intent is pure but the feeling non-existant, or not 'right' for lack of a more distinct word.
"It seems we meet in the spaces in between" says to me that they agree on nothing, "Another day I call and never speak" says that the relationship is uncomfortable.
It's a perfect song for those relationships that we wish worked but just don't.
@LikwuidIce perfect definition
I have my own interpretation, which came to me yesterday when I heard this song for the first time in a long time and really listened to the lyrics. I have been friends with someone for over 20 years and it's been up and down. She's never available, always busy, her life is full of problems and drama. When she does call me it's to apologize for not calling, not to chat or make plans. Recently I felt like I've had enough and when thinking about it I realized that I think she's unconciously filling her life with people who need help because that makes her feel needed. I'm not part of her daily life because I'm independent and therefore I don't make her feel useful. Then I heard this song and it seemed to be about our friendship. "Another day I call and never speak" - that's me calling and always getting voice mail and not leaving a message. "And you would say nothing's changed at all" - her calling to say we're still friends, wish we could get together yada yada yada "And I can't feel much hope for anything If I won't be there to catch you when you fall" - I'm not part of her daily life so I'm not there to help her with the latest crisis. "Again It seems we meet In the spaces In between We always say It won't take long But something's always wrong" - we seldom talk or see each other, only in between the problems and crisis and time she spends helping all her needy friends. We always say we'll get together soon, but something's always wrong and she never has time for me. I'm glad I'm learning to let go and expect nothing from her. I really like her and I'm sorry her life is a mess but I realize I'll only get hurt. I won't turn her away if she needs me but I won't expect to hear from her either. And from now on, this song will always remind me of the way things are.
No, she's not available. We see each other maybe 4 - 5 times a year and she lives 15 minutes away. She never calls to say hi and when I call I always get voice mail. She calls to say they were thinking of us and wanted to get together but...<br /> What is wrong with her right now? Well, she has someone staying with her who needs help, her daughter who is a teacher is being ostrasized (sp?) at her school, a friend lost her husband to heart failure. Funny, when my kids were little I used to ask her to cut their hair, thinking it was something that would get us together and she always said she wasn't any good. When we were at the visitation for the husband who passed away she said she had gone to the wife's house to cut her hair. I'm slowly getting the message.<br /> Thanks for posting your feedback, I enjoyed reading it.
@skidmoca wow. your interpretation is poignant, introspective & just brilliant! I've loved this song for over 20 years. I find myself going back to it on repeat, whenever everything feels like it's going wrong. because I've been doing this so long, it actually brings me comfort bc I know I've wallowed to this song many times before & clearly got through whatever had been so wrong. Up until just now, I never bothered to look up the song meaning. Upon reading the top comment, about the writer waiting for the girl to end her relationship to be with him, it instantly made perfect sense to me, that that is likely what the writer wrote about. But because of their brilliant choice of words and symbolism, it can so easily be interrupted to any one of our unique circumstances. which is really just the magic of good music!
I really love this song, it touches me deeply and I can relate to the lyrics a lot. Unfulfilled promises can sometimes be worse than broken ones.
Agreed.<br />
Yet another underrated band, Toad the Wet Sprocket. Another great song from them, too. I first heard it in the closing scene of an episode of "Scrubs". The great thing is that they have such a distinct sound that I was sure I knew who it was who was singing it. This song speaks to me and my relationship with my friend. Something IS always wrong between me and her, and we can never quite figure out what it is.
I am 41 and divorced. My ex-wife is still my best friend. I emailed this song to her about a month after I moved out. Also, I grew up about 30 mlies south of Santa Barbara. Toad is my hometown band and this song meant the world to me.
Is this correct?
Another day, I call and never speak. And you would say, "Nothing's changed at all." And I can't feel much hope for anything, If I won't be there to catch you if you fall...
...again. (again we fail) It seems we meet, (to meet and mend) In the spaces, (the spaces safe) In between. (between intents) Always say, (we say too much) "Won't be long." (and long been gone) No, but something's always wrong.
Another game of putting things aside, As if we'll come back to them sometime. A brace of hope, A pride of innocence. And you would say, "Something has gone wrong...
...again." (again we fail) It seems we meet, (to make amends) In the spaces, (and wend our way) In between. (between intents) We'd always say, (and looking back) "Won't be long." (not moving on) No, but something's always wrong.
And again, (again we fail) It seems we meet, (to meet and mend) In the spaces, (the spaces safe) In between. (between intents) Always say, (we say too much) "Won't be long." (too long been gone)
No, but something's always wrong, Something's always wrong, Something's always wrong.
i think your wrong about the other boyfriend interpretation. i truly believe it's about a failed relationship because of two different people who want the relationship to work but there is something in it that is missing. they have the hope that things will get better but their problems are always there
To me this song has always been about how timing can really suck in life and how people push the important things in life aside for things that in the big picture are probably less important. For instance you meet a great girl but your are both in big transition points in your life and you really don't feel like you should be dating so you push it aside.