"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.
To think of my task is chilling.
To know I was carefully building the mask I was
wearing for two years, swearing I'd tear it off.
I've sat in the dark explaining to myself that I'm
straining too hard for feelings I ought to find easily.
Called myself Jezebel.
I don't believe.
Before I say that the vows we made weigh like a
stone in my heart.
Family is family, don't let this tear us apart.
You lie there, an innocent baby.
I feel like the thief who is raiding your home,
entering and breaking and taking in every room.
I know your feelings are tender and that inside you
the embers still glow.
But I'm a shadow, I'm only a bed of blackened coal.
Call myself Jezebel for wanting to leave.
I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other
word to describe the sacred tie that bound me to
you.
I'm just saying we've mistaken one for thousands of
words.
And for that mistake, I've caused you such pain that
I damn that word.
I've no more ways to hide that I'm a desolate and
empty, hollow place inside.
I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other
word to describe the sacred tie that bound me to
you.
I'm not saying love's a plaything.
No, it's a powerful word, inspired by strong desire
to bind myself to you.
How I wish that we never had tried to be man and his
wife, to weave our lives into a blindfold over both
our eyes.
To know I was carefully building the mask I was
wearing for two years, swearing I'd tear it off.
I've sat in the dark explaining to myself that I'm
straining too hard for feelings I ought to find easily.
Called myself Jezebel.
I don't believe.
Before I say that the vows we made weigh like a
stone in my heart.
Family is family, don't let this tear us apart.
You lie there, an innocent baby.
I feel like the thief who is raiding your home,
entering and breaking and taking in every room.
I know your feelings are tender and that inside you
the embers still glow.
But I'm a shadow, I'm only a bed of blackened coal.
Call myself Jezebel for wanting to leave.
I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other
word to describe the sacred tie that bound me to
you.
I'm just saying we've mistaken one for thousands of
words.
And for that mistake, I've caused you such pain that
I damn that word.
I've no more ways to hide that I'm a desolate and
empty, hollow place inside.
I'm not saying I'm replacing love for some other
word to describe the sacred tie that bound me to
you.
I'm not saying love's a plaything.
No, it's a powerful word, inspired by strong desire
to bind myself to you.
How I wish that we never had tried to be man and his
wife, to weave our lives into a blindfold over both
our eyes.
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
This has always been my favorite Maniacs song. The lyrics are stunning. If you have ever fallen out of love with someone, especially someone with whom you have children with, this song will touch you.