"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.
By the turnstile beckons a damsel fair
The face of Melinda neath blackened hair
No joy would flicker in her eyes
Brooding sadness came to a rise
Words would falter to atone
Failure had passed the stepping stone
She had sworn her vows to another
This is when no-one will bother
And conceded pain in crumbling mirth
A harlot of God upon the earth
Found where she sacrificed her ways
That hollow love in her face
Still I plotted to have her back
The contentment that would fill the crack
My soul released a fluttering sigh
This day fell, the darkness nigh
I took her by the hand to say
All faith forever has been washed away
I returned for you in great dismay
Come with me, far away to stay
Endlessly gazing in nocturnal prime
She spoke of her vices and broke the rhyme
But baffled herself with the final line
My promise is made but my heart is thine
The face of Melinda neath blackened hair
No joy would flicker in her eyes
Brooding sadness came to a rise
Words would falter to atone
Failure had passed the stepping stone
She had sworn her vows to another
This is when no-one will bother
And conceded pain in crumbling mirth
A harlot of God upon the earth
Found where she sacrificed her ways
That hollow love in her face
Still I plotted to have her back
The contentment that would fill the crack
My soul released a fluttering sigh
This day fell, the darkness nigh
I took her by the hand to say
All faith forever has been washed away
I returned for you in great dismay
Come with me, far away to stay
Endlessly gazing in nocturnal prime
She spoke of her vices and broke the rhyme
But baffled herself with the final line
My promise is made but my heart is thine
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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"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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/
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.
beautiful song akerfeldt says in the booklet of the Still Life digipack re-release: "As Peter was working on his leads I sat down and finished the lyrics. Back home I had been writing a short story about religious beliefs contra atheism and how it would have affected someone in the old or even ancient days. The main character was a religious man who somewhere down the line started questioning his faith and eventually would lose it. He was to be banished from his village by "the council" and would only return years later for his then past love, Melinda, who was scheduled to be unwillingly married through family pressures. Yes, quite romantic at times but overall it was a pretty dark affair that I'm still quite happy about today."
melinda is 'taken' because she's a nun now, "a harlot of God upon the earth."
this fits in much better because the main character was outcast under religious pretense, thus causing the main character to hate God, yet the woman he loves believes firmly in God.
melinda certainly reciprocates his love, as she wouldn't go to bed with him and abandon her covenant as a nun if she didn't. unfortunately she is killed by the townspeople in serenity painted death after this occurs.
I love this song so much, the first time I heard it I was listening to it on my head phones, and I met the most awsome chick ever!!!! I asked her her name and it was melinda, and she has black beautiful hair. And it was like the song was about her, and we are together now. Very special song to me.
by returnsandexchanges on 03-04-2006 @ 06:55:25 AM melinda is 'taken' because she's a nun now, "a harlot of God upon the earth."
this fits in much better because the main character was outcast under religious pretense, thus causing the main character to hate God, yet the woman he loves believes firmly in God.
melinda certainly reciprocates his love, as she wouldn't go to bed with him and abandon her covenant as a nun if she didn't. unfortunately she is killed by the townspeople in serenity painted death after this occurs.
you are probably one of the few people who really get this album, except for the town part. its more loggical he is banished from his country ofcourse and not townspeople kill melinda but the soldiers of the cross
This song is about the man coming back to his old love, Melinda. He is unable to deal with the fact that she loves someone else now.
I disagree. surely the line "My promise is made but my heart is thine" says she still loves him? They were lovers, he went away, she was forced into another marriage, and now when he returns, although the feelings remain, there is nothing either of them can do. O the angst! Seeriously though, I love this song.
to get this song you have to listen to the whole album from start to finish. it is one story about a man banished from his town, and comes back for his true love, melinda, who is 'taken' . listen to the whole album and this song's lyrics will make complete sense. same deal with 'my arms, your hearse'
I just checked out Opeth news and Mikael Åkerfeldt's wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl. And Mikael named her Melinda. I wonder if there is a story behind the name?
yep... Mikael named his daughter melinda... ... well, a great track and a great album nonetheless..
returnsandexchanges (Follow his View ;D)
Her new love is god. And he doesn't love god. But she still loves him as much. So she is devided by - "Her promise...". But she also clearly states that - "...my heart is thine."