"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.
Many years ago
He looked out through a glassless window
All that he could see was Babylon
Beautiful green fields and dreams
And learn to measure the stars
But there was a worry in his heart
He said
How could it come to this?
I'm really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, I really wanna know about this
Is it like today?
Uh, uh-uh
Then there came a day
Moved out 'cross the Mediterranean
Came to rest on isles and the Greek young men
And with their silver beards they laughed
At the unknown of the universe
They could just sit and guess God's name
But they said
How could it come to this?
We're really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, we really want to know about this
Is it like today?
Oh, oh-oh
Then there followed days of kings
Empires and revolution
Blood just looks the same
When you open the veins
But sometimes it was faith, power or reason as the cornerstone
But the furrowed brow has never left his face
He said
How could it come to this?
We're really living in a landslide
How could it come to this?
Yeah we really wanna know about this
Is it like today?
Oh, oh-oh
Then there came a day
Man packed up, flew off from the planet
He went to the moon (to the moon)
To the moon (to the moon)
Now he's out in space, hey, fixing all the problems
He comes face to face with God
He says
How could it come to this
I'm really worried 'bout my creation
How did it come to this
You're really killing me you know
It isn't just today
Oh, oh-oh
Is it like today?
Eh? Ah
Is it like today?
Oh, bang
Ooh
Many years ago
He looked out through a glassless window
Didn't understand much what he saw
He looked out through a glassless window
All that he could see was Babylon
Beautiful green fields and dreams
And learn to measure the stars
But there was a worry in his heart
He said
How could it come to this?
I'm really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, I really wanna know about this
Is it like today?
Uh, uh-uh
Then there came a day
Moved out 'cross the Mediterranean
Came to rest on isles and the Greek young men
And with their silver beards they laughed
At the unknown of the universe
They could just sit and guess God's name
But they said
How could it come to this?
We're really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, we really want to know about this
Is it like today?
Oh, oh-oh
Then there followed days of kings
Empires and revolution
Blood just looks the same
When you open the veins
But sometimes it was faith, power or reason as the cornerstone
But the furrowed brow has never left his face
He said
How could it come to this?
We're really living in a landslide
How could it come to this?
Yeah we really wanna know about this
Is it like today?
Oh, oh-oh
Then there came a day
Man packed up, flew off from the planet
He went to the moon (to the moon)
To the moon (to the moon)
Now he's out in space, hey, fixing all the problems
He comes face to face with God
He says
How could it come to this
I'm really worried 'bout my creation
How did it come to this
You're really killing me you know
It isn't just today
Oh, oh-oh
Is it like today?
Eh? Ah
Is it like today?
Oh, bang
Ooh
Many years ago
He looked out through a glassless window
Didn't understand much what he saw
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
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/
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.
Is there anyone who knows what this song ('Is it like today' by World Party) is actually about and if it is a remake of an older song? I saw that there is a version by Sheryl Crow, but have no idea if she remade this or someone else's song.
Sheryl Crow has performed this, but it is originally done by World Party. Both versions are quite nice. :)
This song, to me, is about humanity over time. Over the centuries, the questions are still the same. Why are we here? What are we doing? What purpose do we have? How could it come to this?
meggybears has one level. the song is a bit deeper than that - it's about the cyclic destruction man brings to the planet. The questions do remain constant - even though man advances. "Is it like today? BANG!" (nuclear war or some cataclysmic event wipes out humanity's advancement) This is the theme of the whole album.
Though literally it can be interpreted two ways. pessimisticly - as Man never learns "is this as good as it's ever gonna get?" OR optimistically - through recreation / rebirth (the last stanza) Man will be given an infinite number of chances for redemption. Knowing Wallinger's views, this is not an optimistic song...but interpret what you like.
It seems like there's something significant you might have missed. In the first couple verses, it's the people looking around them, asking "How could it come to this?", but in the last verse, with man on the moon, it's actually God which speaks the chorus. "I'm really worried about my creation." That makes the line, "You're really killing me, you know" all the more powerful. It's about how we have a tendency to think ourselves the center of the universe -- the most important players on the block. There's always something larger than us.
For me, it seems like it's about recognizing that humanity is NOT all there is. We look around
I always thought of that sentence taking the perspective of the man. He is pushing the boundaries of science, fixing the world's problems, and then comes "face to face with God" e.g. religion is among the world's problems. He runs into a religious or moral dilemma and it's the man calling God "my creation" instead of the other way around.
A fun, musical journey through history!
A four verse precis of the book, "A History Of Western Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell
Love this song. Usernick has it when he mentions "A History Of Western Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. Great melody and great lyrics. Speaking of lyrics...
First chorus is messed up, it uses "I" instead of "we". It should be:
He said How could it come to this? I'm really worried about living How could it come to this? Yeah, I really wanna know about this
Second verse is missing:
Is it like today? Uh, uh-uh
Then there came a day, moved Out cross the Mediterranean Came to rest on isles and the Greek young men And with their silver beards they laughed At the unknown of the universe They could just sit and guess God's name
And after the bang we start again at the beginning
It seems to me it's more about Man's desire to explore and to understand what is around him. First it was Babylon, then on Greece and Med, etc. The line that gets me to most is "the furrowed brow has never left his face" implying that there is never to answer to the question, only more questions. Musically I simply love the piano in this tune, even by itself its beautiful. Poetically it reminds me of the old World when Man had the time to sit around and ponder the great questions of the universe and indeed even God himself. I've always been a huge fan of Kurt Wallinger and I hope he remains around for awhile longer.