"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.
I heard your record on the telephone
It was my cousin, Joan
She picked it up from the top 40 rack and then
I read your interview in Rolling Stone
You threw the boys a bone
And so I genuinely felt obliged to call
I know You never meant to hurt us, man
We're just a baby band
You found a quicker way
To scale the wall of fame
The situation's awfully dim
Should we up and go with him?
No way [no way, 1, 2, 3, 4]
[Chorus]
We know exactly where you are, and you're gone [my friend]
Don't know exactly where you're coming from
You've gone away my friend
We know exactly where you are, and you're gone [my friend]
Don't know exactly where you're coming from
Have you gone astray [gone]
I saw your video on VH-1
Looks like they spent a ton
How does it feel to be the flavor for a spell
And I remember when you used to say
"Jesus is the way"
I never thought I'd see your light begin to fade
The situation's awfully dim
Should we up and go with him?
No way (no way, 1, 2, 3, 4)
[Chorus]
Don't think we don't miss you
[We think about you every day]
We still love you anyway
(Love don't go away)
There's still this burning question
(I got to know) Why?
(What will people think when they
Hear that I'm a Jesus freak?)
Ah, ah, ah (hey)
(While this is something of fantasy)
(The moral of the story is)
(To stick with your friends)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (hey)
Ah, ah, ah, (hey)
Ah, ah, ah (hey, hey, 1, 2, 3, 4)
[Chorus]
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, and you're gone [my friend]
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, so long
You've gone away, my friend
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, and you're gone [my friend]
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, so long
We'll see you someday
Wish you well
Na, na, na, na, na, my friend
It was my cousin, Joan
She picked it up from the top 40 rack and then
I read your interview in Rolling Stone
You threw the boys a bone
And so I genuinely felt obliged to call
I know You never meant to hurt us, man
We're just a baby band
You found a quicker way
To scale the wall of fame
The situation's awfully dim
Should we up and go with him?
No way [no way, 1, 2, 3, 4]
[Chorus]
We know exactly where you are, and you're gone [my friend]
Don't know exactly where you're coming from
You've gone away my friend
We know exactly where you are, and you're gone [my friend]
Don't know exactly where you're coming from
Have you gone astray [gone]
I saw your video on VH-1
Looks like they spent a ton
How does it feel to be the flavor for a spell
And I remember when you used to say
"Jesus is the way"
I never thought I'd see your light begin to fade
The situation's awfully dim
Should we up and go with him?
No way (no way, 1, 2, 3, 4)
[Chorus]
Don't think we don't miss you
[We think about you every day]
We still love you anyway
(Love don't go away)
There's still this burning question
(I got to know) Why?
(What will people think when they
Hear that I'm a Jesus freak?)
Ah, ah, ah (hey)
(While this is something of fantasy)
(The moral of the story is)
(To stick with your friends)
Ah, ah, ah, ah (hey)
Ah, ah, ah, (hey)
Ah, ah, ah (hey, hey, 1, 2, 3, 4)
[Chorus]
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, and you're gone [my friend]
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, so long
You've gone away, my friend
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, and you're gone [my friend]
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, so long
We'll see you someday
Wish you well
Na, na, na, na, na, my friend
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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."
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
Many people claim this song is about a particular artist or group in the christian music industry (such as Jars of Clay, Amy Grant, or perhaps even Creed) that have "sold out". As interesting and controversial as that would be, the truth is (as been stated by the band themselves in many interviews) that this is a ficticious story about a ficticious group or artist. It's just supposed to address the fact that there are those out there that may or may not have "sold out" or are thinking about doing it. DC Talk is just trying to give everyone a heads up and tell them to remember that they are all under watchful eyes and their decisions can have far reaching effects. The song itself is pretty self-explanitory. I think this is a really funny, sarcastic, daring, and gut-checking song. IF YOU EVER READ THIS TOBY, MIKE, OR KEVIN, you all should take more chances like this and do more songs like this! It a breath of fresh air!
Creed is not a Christian band, and has stated so in several magazine and online articles. Just because a group sings about religious symbols or whatever doesn't make them a Christian band. I don't know why people continue to say Creed is a Christian band when they aren't.
And Jars of Clay haven't "sold out". I heard some of DC Talk's music on a secular station a co-worker of mine was listening to, so I think that if a Christian band can get their music out on a secular station, that is GOD and no one else. God wants people to know about Jesus, and if Christian music on a secular station is how someone needs to hear GOD, then so be it...
i agree totally, the guys are singing about a generic band, no one in particular. This is an awesome song i love it completely
in an interview with dc Talk they actually state that this song stemmed from conversations they had on the bus about how they would feel if one of the members were to "cross over", leaving the other two guys behind. not a song about an actual band/artist.
I remember seeing the video while I was staying up late suffering the net. I was suppose to talk some people home and I was designated driver. Seems lika a long time ago.
I find this song really funny due to the fact of Kevin going "mainstream" and according to Toby, "selling out". But I LOVE dcTAlk. There isn't a better band in the world.
I Agree 100%!!! But still, it's hard not to love their music!!! especially this song!!!!! :-P