"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.
Woke up this morning and felt not too cool, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
'Cause every time I tried to make my mouth move, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
The pain I'm having is so discomforting
Please make this suffering go away
Wow wow wow whoa
I told my mom what I was feeling
And how long I've been dealing with it
I knew it was coming but didn't know how soon
She said I've reached another adolescent monsoon
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Why can't I take it like a man
Ooh ah, the pain is horrendous
Why can't you lend a helpin' hand
He was a well-educated man
Had his degree in medicine
I noticed his hairy hands
He was a very, very hairy man
He looked right down in
Shook his head and then said
"These teeth must be pulled right away!" Hey
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Why can't I take it like a man
Ooh ah, the pain is horrendous
Why can't you lend a helpin' hand
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Why can't I take it like a man
Ooh ah, the pain is horrendous
Why can't you lend a helpin' hand
He turned around, rolled up his sleeve
I rolled my eyes then suddenly
A horrible pain grew, the next thing that I knew
The doc had pulled my wisdom teeth out!
Well, along with my teeth my money also left me
As he made out the bill, I was moaning
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Where the hell is my prescription
Of codeine?
Ooh, but when will I speak, how long until
My mouth feels natural?
How long will they bleed, when will heal?
Where's a real meal?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
I feel good, I feel great
There's no pain, there's no ache
I feel good, I feel great
Just let me recuperate
I feel good, I feel great
There's no pain, there's no ache
I feel good, I feel great
Just let me recuperate
Because the codeine has left me drowsy
Leave me be, just let me sleep!
'Cause every time I tried to make my mouth move, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
The pain I'm having is so discomforting
Please make this suffering go away
Wow wow wow whoa
I told my mom what I was feeling
And how long I've been dealing with it
I knew it was coming but didn't know how soon
She said I've reached another adolescent monsoon
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Why can't I take it like a man
Ooh ah, the pain is horrendous
Why can't you lend a helpin' hand
He was a well-educated man
Had his degree in medicine
I noticed his hairy hands
He was a very, very hairy man
He looked right down in
Shook his head and then said
"These teeth must be pulled right away!" Hey
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Why can't I take it like a man
Ooh ah, the pain is horrendous
Why can't you lend a helpin' hand
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Why can't I take it like a man
Ooh ah, the pain is horrendous
Why can't you lend a helpin' hand
He turned around, rolled up his sleeve
I rolled my eyes then suddenly
A horrible pain grew, the next thing that I knew
The doc had pulled my wisdom teeth out!
Well, along with my teeth my money also left me
As he made out the bill, I was moaning
Ooh ah, the pain is tremendous
Where the hell is my prescription
Of codeine?
Ooh, but when will I speak, how long until
My mouth feels natural?
How long will they bleed, when will heal?
Where's a real meal?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel? How do you feel?
I feel good, I feel great
There's no pain, there's no ache
I feel good, I feel great
Just let me recuperate
I feel good, I feel great
There's no pain, there's no ache
I feel good, I feel great
Just let me recuperate
Because the codeine has left me drowsy
Leave me be, just let me sleep!
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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"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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”
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/
Ouch! I havn't gotten my wisdom teeth out yet, but I might have to. :(