"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.
'Hey, you're a riddle',
I say as I move aside
(Like I really need your advice)
But you won't leave it alone
Little men try but don't get a lot done
Living in sin doesn't move me either way
I get a feeling you're so vague
Like I said before
Little men come when anything goes
[Chorus]
When the rain comes I sit home and pray
Make it all numb
I wish it all away
All I really need is just somewhere to hide away
Kick him when he's down
Here alone I'll put up and fight
Kick him when he's down
Beat me all the way I'll take it all night
Kick him when he's down
Hey, don't worry, I'll get along home alright
Hey, everybody's supposed to be the same
So how come they're so lame?
It's like taking a fall
Keep on running back into that wall
Awake in a dream, get up and go to work
But I'm feeling like such a jerk
Like I said before
Little men come when everything goes
[Chorus]
'Hey, you're a riddle' I say as I move aside
(Like I really need your advice)
But you won't leave it alone
Little men try but don't get a lot done
Living in sin doesn't move me either way
I get a feeling you're so vague
Like I said before
Little men come when anything goes
I say as I move aside
(Like I really need your advice)
But you won't leave it alone
Little men try but don't get a lot done
Living in sin doesn't move me either way
I get a feeling you're so vague
Like I said before
Little men come when anything goes
[Chorus]
When the rain comes I sit home and pray
Make it all numb
I wish it all away
All I really need is just somewhere to hide away
Kick him when he's down
Here alone I'll put up and fight
Kick him when he's down
Beat me all the way I'll take it all night
Kick him when he's down
Hey, don't worry, I'll get along home alright
Hey, everybody's supposed to be the same
So how come they're so lame?
It's like taking a fall
Keep on running back into that wall
Awake in a dream, get up and go to work
But I'm feeling like such a jerk
Like I said before
Little men come when everything goes
[Chorus]
'Hey, you're a riddle' I say as I move aside
(Like I really need your advice)
But you won't leave it alone
Little men try but don't get a lot done
Living in sin doesn't move me either way
I get a feeling you're so vague
Like I said before
Little men come when anything goes
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More Featured Meanings
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I absolutely LOVE this song... same kinda meaning as Smash: be yourself, don't be like everyone else. My fave line is "Hey, everybody's supposed to be the same, so how come they're so lame? It's like taking a fall, keep on running back into that wall" That line is probably one of my favorites, ever, even though this song isn't my absolute favorite (it's up there though). AWESOME song.
Yeah i
d say battybat nailed it there, you get this vibe a lot in offspring songs, does it bother us NOPE because they
re all cool. Natty songThis is my 2nd favorite Offspring song. battybat already explained it, so I don't have to.
I'm sure you all knew this, but Vultures was actually written before this song, and this song was an evolutuion of it. This one just wasn't scraped at first.
@fuckyouall actually, vultures came out in 2000, and this song was released in The Offsprings first album, Ignition in 1992.
yeh id agree with batty, my previous theory was corporaions kickin the little man out of the competion , 'little man tries, dont get a lot don't get alot done', but find no peace from their success. But batty's explantion seems more feasable.
dope sound dope song doope band HEY EVERYBODIES SUPPOSED 2 BE THE SAME WELL HOW COME THEY'RE SOOOOO LAMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! b uRSElF!!!!!!!!
my all time favorite offspring song, it'll never get old to me.
i listen to this when i'm feeling somewhat frustrated with friends or people i know. i actually listened to it a lot when thinking about this girl who had turned out to be a huge mistake. "hey you're a riddle i say as i move aside, like i really need your advice" is a freakin great line. for me it was like saying that to the girl, but i really don't think it has much to do with the song. i really think the nail has already been hit on the head, it's a sarcastic look at a society which makes one feel oppressed or not in control, i get the feeling he's talking to the "big-wigs" of the society with this song.
either way it's obviously about somebody making him feel like sh*t and he's sarcastically saying, "yeah, don't worry about me, i'll make it home alright, it's alright"
police brutality, particularly in the context of the la race riots.
I think this song is about being paranoid...