"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.
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Every time I look at you, I go blind
In the mornin' I get up
And I try to feel alive, but I can't
Every time I look at you, I go blind
I don't know what it is
Something in me just won't give me a chance
I think it's that I feel
More confused by the deal
Love has shown me
Little child, did you know that there's a light
And it's gonna shine right through your eyes
What do you think that life is like?
Every time I look at you, I go blind
I go blind
Well, somewhere over there
There's a purpose, there's a care for free
In me, there's no body
No one plan, no one stand to be free
I think it's that because
I have seen all the fuss
And it's no big deal
No big deal
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than life
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Every time I look at you, I go blind
In the mornin' I get up
And I try to feel alive, but I can't
Every time I look at you, I go blind
I don't know what it is
Something in me just won't give me a chance
I think it's that I feel
More confused by the deal
Love has shown me
Little child, did you know that there's a light
And it's gonna shine right through your eyes
What do you think that life is like?
Every time I look at you, I go blind
I go blind
Well, somewhere over there
There's a purpose, there's a care for free
In me, there's no body
No one plan, no one stand to be free
I think it's that because
I have seen all the fuss
And it's no big deal
No big deal
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than
Hold me, hold me 'cause I wanna get higher and higher
Every time I look at you, I go blind
Higher than life
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
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.
Could be about a child, could be about an addict (I can see myself in there sadly), or maybe just about love. That early love when your unsure; like when you can't decide about your girlfriend/boyfriend and that feeling drives you about mad. Or blind, because of the indecision or the uncertainty. "Something in me just won't give me a chance," that line could go with how the person can't get their chance to show their true love. Hold me hold cause I wanna get higher is a beg to that girl or guy to reach out to you and love you so you can too.
Reminds me of my last love. Thinking about that makes me realize the song could be about coming out of love with all the pain and trying to win that love, your woman back.
Funny, now after writing this I've got the urge to go get my love back. Go Hootie.