"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.
And if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go chasin' the nuns out in the yard
And I'll run naked through the streets without my mask on
And I will never need umbrellas in the rain
I'll wake up in Strawberry Fields every day
And the atrocities of school I can forgive
The happy phantom has no right to bitch
Oo who
The time is getting closer
Oo who
Time to be a ghost
Oo who
Every day we're getting closer
The sun is getting dim
Will we pay for who we been
So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
They'll be my ticket to the universal opera
There's Judy Garland taking Buddha by the hand
And then these seven little men get up to dance
They say Confucius does his crossword with a pen
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin
Oo who
The time is getting closer
Oo who
Time to be a ghost
Oo who
Every day we're getting closer
The sun is getting dim
Will we pay for who I've been
Or will I see you dear and wish I could come back
You found a girl that you could truly love again
Will you still call for me when she falls asleep
Or do we soon forget the things we cannot see
Oo who
The time is getting closer
Oo who
Time to be a ghost
Oo who
Every day we're getting closer
The sun is getting dim
Will we pay for who I've been
And if I die today, and if I die today
And if I die today, and if I die today
And I'll go chasin' the nuns out in the yard
And I'll go chasin' the nuns out in the yard
And I'll run naked through the streets without my mask on
And I will never need umbrellas in the rain
I'll wake up in Strawberry Fields every day
And the atrocities of school I can forgive
The happy phantom has no right to bitch
Oo who
The time is getting closer
Oo who
Time to be a ghost
Oo who
Every day we're getting closer
The sun is getting dim
Will we pay for who we been
So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
They'll be my ticket to the universal opera
There's Judy Garland taking Buddha by the hand
And then these seven little men get up to dance
They say Confucius does his crossword with a pen
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin
Oo who
The time is getting closer
Oo who
Time to be a ghost
Oo who
Every day we're getting closer
The sun is getting dim
Will we pay for who I've been
Or will I see you dear and wish I could come back
You found a girl that you could truly love again
Will you still call for me when she falls asleep
Or do we soon forget the things we cannot see
Oo who
The time is getting closer
Oo who
Time to be a ghost
Oo who
Every day we're getting closer
The sun is getting dim
Will we pay for who I've been
And if I die today, and if I die today
And if I die today, and if I die today
And I'll go chasin' the nuns out in the yard
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
"Or will I see you dear and wish I could come back You found a girl that you could TRULY love again Will you still call for me when she falls asleep Or do we soon forget the things we cannot see "
To me, this line brings up the idea of maybe still being able to see the people we leave behind when we die. when we look down on our loved ones, they will still be living their lives. How does the "happy phantom" feel when she or he sees the one they love moved on and with someone else? Is it just that easy to forget someone u can't see anymore? it doesnt mean that those who are deceased arent still present in some other way. or maybe that person still living does wish their love would come back from the dead. I guess i just find this line of the song kinda interesting.
@JackiezStrength25 I think you nailed it. In this verse she pins down the message. The song describes a clear duality of literally being gone, and that being 'okay'; a sense of freedom. But here she's gone in a more present sense, reflecting back on a lost love and fading from it. Good call.