"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.
I can see it, I can feel it
Rushing in my veins
I don't like it, I don't hide it
See it in my face
But I....don't want, to wait...
For I....have lost, my faith....
Where can I find myself an idol
Somebody that I can look up to
Be big enough to hold me close in their minds
And never let me down
And all these stupid conversations
That always seem to lead nowhere
They're going round and round and round in my head
And they'll be back again, they're coming back again
Its not fair, I still care now
Were always alone
Honesty and modesty will never find my home
But I... will never say....
When I ....have lost my way.....
Why can't I find myself an idol
Somebody that I can look up to
Be big enough to hold me close in their minds
And never let me down
And all these stupid conversations
That always seem to lead to nowhere
They're going round and round and round in my head
And they'll be back again, they're coming back again
Can't take it, can't take (don't throw it away)
Can't take it, can't take it, their coming back again
Can't take it, can't take it (don't throw it away away away)
(Don't throw it away)
Can't take it, can't take it (don't throw it away away away away)
Rushing in my veins
I don't like it, I don't hide it
See it in my face
But I....don't want, to wait...
For I....have lost, my faith....
Where can I find myself an idol
Somebody that I can look up to
Be big enough to hold me close in their minds
And never let me down
And all these stupid conversations
That always seem to lead nowhere
They're going round and round and round in my head
And they'll be back again, they're coming back again
Its not fair, I still care now
Were always alone
Honesty and modesty will never find my home
But I... will never say....
When I ....have lost my way.....
Why can't I find myself an idol
Somebody that I can look up to
Be big enough to hold me close in their minds
And never let me down
And all these stupid conversations
That always seem to lead to nowhere
They're going round and round and round in my head
And they'll be back again, they're coming back again
Can't take it, can't take (don't throw it away)
Can't take it, can't take it, their coming back again
Can't take it, can't take it (don't throw it away away away)
(Don't throw it away)
Can't take it, can't take it (don't throw it away away away away)
Lyrics submitted by TakingBackSunday711
Idol Lyrics as written by Amanda Gosein Ian Alec Harvey Dench
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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.
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.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
It is. I love it. Basically I think it's about a person who does not believe in the idolization concept. We live once, and we live it our way, not through the footsteps of others.. for at the end of the day, we are independent, and the battle is btw ourselves. :)