"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.
Can you hear that whistle
Loud clackety clack
But it's calling to me
The station is where it's at
It's coming again now
Chuggin' down that track
Just check your records
Got all my bags packed
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where my dreams come true
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where my dreams come true
This time I'll board that train
It won't be long
Check the label on my baggage
Destination's in my song
I'll talk to the conductor, ooh
I've saved up my fare
Yakety-yak for a while
Choo choo!
Choo choo, hoo!
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where dreams come true
Always find me waiting for that train to come
Come get me, come take me
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
I said come get me, take me to the land
Where the dreams come true and then
Oh, I'm waiting
Oh, I'm waiting
Come get me, come get me to the land where my dreams come
Smokes down
Train is back
Then smash it down
(Hurry, grab it)
(Hurry, grab it)
Hurry, grab my luggage
Hurry, grab my bags
It seems the locomotive
Has been taken another track
A penny brought on by mischief
A penny form of cash
Has been brought up to the railway (choo choo)
We are destined to be a smash (choo choo)
A smash (choo choo)
Whoa
You will always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where your dreams come true
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come
Come get me, come take me
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Wrongful manners, tickets for two
I'm waiting for it to show
Ah-na-na-na-na-na-na-oh-wow-woah
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, come take me
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
I said come get me, take me to the land
Where your dreams come true, I said
You're gonna always find me
Oh, gonna always find me
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
I said
Ooh, ooh, oh, oh, whoa
Ah, wrongful manner, yeah
Na-na-na-na-na-na, no, na-na, no
Ah, gonna always find me
Find you
Loud clackety clack
But it's calling to me
The station is where it's at
It's coming again now
Chuggin' down that track
Just check your records
Got all my bags packed
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where my dreams come true
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where my dreams come true
This time I'll board that train
It won't be long
Check the label on my baggage
Destination's in my song
I'll talk to the conductor, ooh
I've saved up my fare
Yakety-yak for a while
Choo choo!
Choo choo, hoo!
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where dreams come true
Always find me waiting for that train to come
Come get me, come take me
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
I said come get me, take me to the land
Where the dreams come true and then
Oh, I'm waiting
Oh, I'm waiting
Come get me, come get me to the land where my dreams come
Smokes down
Train is back
Then smash it down
(Hurry, grab it)
(Hurry, grab it)
Hurry, grab my luggage
Hurry, grab my bags
It seems the locomotive
Has been taken another track
A penny brought on by mischief
A penny form of cash
Has been brought up to the railway (choo choo)
We are destined to be a smash (choo choo)
A smash (choo choo)
Whoa
You will always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, take me to the land where your dreams come true
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come
Come get me, come take me
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Wrongful manners, tickets for two
I'm waiting for it to show
Ah-na-na-na-na-na-na-oh-wow-woah
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
Come get me, come take me
You'll always find me waiting for that train to come through
I said come get me, take me to the land
Where your dreams come true, I said
You're gonna always find me
Oh, gonna always find me
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
I said
Ooh, ooh, oh, oh, whoa
Ah, wrongful manner, yeah
Na-na-na-na-na-na, no, na-na, no
Ah, gonna always find me
Find you
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
They apparently have an animated video for his song. It was only given exclusively to close friends and family. If anyone has seen it (lucky) send a link.