"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.
The sun's rays don't bother me
No they cast down such a wonderful heat
Masking beauty
By a terrible fate
If you fly to close and then you turn too late
The night still confuses me
We'd all get tired and have to sleep eventually
Regardless of the sun's demands
Regardless if it made much sense
You moved so far that I know how far
And then you got so sad that I, I bought a car
Yes I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
He sat me down
He said he was incomplete
He thinks true love's gonna get him back on his feet
He said you only find love once in your life
So I guess when you find it
You're gonna hold it right
You'll hold it right
It makes no sense
Cos there's no sense in it at all
We all wait around
We wait for you to get tired and fall
As your shadow it resumes in me
Yes your shadow it was made for me
She speaks clearly
He speaks loudly
I speak only clearly loudly
Yes she speaks clearly
He speaks loudly
I speak only clearly loudly
Yeah my shadow well it resumes with me
Yes my shadow well it was made for me
She told me love will come once in your life
So I guess when you find it
You're gonna hold it right
You're gonna hold it right
You hold it right
You moved so far that I knew exactly how far
And then you got so sad that I, I bought a car
Yes I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
I'll come get you
And I'll say
Welcome home
No they cast down such a wonderful heat
Masking beauty
By a terrible fate
If you fly to close and then you turn too late
The night still confuses me
We'd all get tired and have to sleep eventually
Regardless of the sun's demands
Regardless if it made much sense
You moved so far that I know how far
And then you got so sad that I, I bought a car
Yes I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
He sat me down
He said he was incomplete
He thinks true love's gonna get him back on his feet
He said you only find love once in your life
So I guess when you find it
You're gonna hold it right
You'll hold it right
It makes no sense
Cos there's no sense in it at all
We all wait around
We wait for you to get tired and fall
As your shadow it resumes in me
Yes your shadow it was made for me
She speaks clearly
He speaks loudly
I speak only clearly loudly
Yes she speaks clearly
He speaks loudly
I speak only clearly loudly
Yeah my shadow well it resumes with me
Yes my shadow well it was made for me
She told me love will come once in your life
So I guess when you find it
You're gonna hold it right
You're gonna hold it right
You hold it right
You moved so far that I knew exactly how far
And then you got so sad that I, I bought a car
Yes I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
I'll come get you
And I will bring you home
I'll come get you
And I'll say
Welcome home
Lyrics submitted by MEMPSestina, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Welcome Home Lyrics as written by Tegan Quin Sara Quin
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I love this song, it's so beautiful. I can't really understand the meaning of it but I love this part: "Yes your shadow it was made for me ... Yes my shadow well it was made for me"
To me, that sounds like the girl she was in love with loved her but Tegan (or Sara, I don't know who wrote this) wasn't "made" for anyone else but herself.
Also, the part about her buying a car to drive to get her girlfriend back is awesome :)