"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.
Let's talk about me for a minute
Well how do you think
I feel about what's been going on
Let's talk about me for a minute
Well how do you think
I feel about what's gone wrong
Let's talk about dreams
I never learned to read the signs
Let's think about what it all means
I never seem to have the time
Let's talk about you and your problems
All that I seem to do is spend the night
Just talking 'bout you and your problems
No matter what I say I can't get it right
Don't think about dreams
Is it all a waste of time
Don't think about what it all means
If you are a friend of mine
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's losing
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's always losing out
And how do you think
I feel about what's been going on
Let's talk about me for a minute
Well how do you think
I feel about what's gone wrong
Let's think about dreams
We never seem to have the time
Let's talk about what it all means
If you are a friend of mine
Let's talk about me
I'm the one who's losing out
I'm the one who's losing out
I'm the one who's losing out, losing out
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's losing
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's always losing out
Well how do you think
I feel about what's been going on
Let's talk about me for a minute
Well how do you think
I feel about what's gone wrong
Let's talk about dreams
I never learned to read the signs
Let's think about what it all means
I never seem to have the time
Let's talk about you and your problems
All that I seem to do is spend the night
Just talking 'bout you and your problems
No matter what I say I can't get it right
Don't think about dreams
Is it all a waste of time
Don't think about what it all means
If you are a friend of mine
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's losing
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's always losing out
And how do you think
I feel about what's been going on
Let's talk about me for a minute
Well how do you think
I feel about what's gone wrong
Let's think about dreams
We never seem to have the time
Let's talk about what it all means
If you are a friend of mine
Let's talk about me
I'm the one who's losing out
I'm the one who's losing out
I'm the one who's losing out, losing out
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's losing
Talk about me, for a minute
I'm the one who's always losing out
Lyrics submitted by Ice
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
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.
I believe the artist is singing for a blanketed mass of people. You hear a few tracks of people arguing their point in the beginning of the song, a bit after the singer breaks through the people arguing... Let's talk about me!! Hey, a lot of people want to talk about themselves, even when starting a conversation neutral, they want to talk about them.. And in the process there is a breakdown in communication because each of the people talking... only hear themselves...
Debates (particularly privately rather than a "debate team," which would be quite different really), arguments, even plain everyday conversation...
In my opinion the artist is portraying the opposite of what he wants you to see, in the process of which, you will see the picture more clearly (from both sides, once you realize the other).
I took a lot away from the song, I take a lot away from a lot of their songs... If you really listen, (and even in the process you may only be forming your own opinion about what the song means, well I guess I should truly how you interpret the song is your own, and the closer you get to what the artist is trying to portray, or believe that you have done so, the more the song means to you.) you can take a LOT away from their songs.
@Dragnox I agree, this is a case of saying something just to mean the opposite. It reminds me of "don't answer me".<br /> <br /> Let's talk about each other, not ourselves.