"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.
Listening to the great beyond
Where misdirection waves its magic wand
Everybody sing that song
Tuesday morning comes along
I read the news, it's all gone wrong
The facts of life have left too soon
Serving up doom and gloom
Never gonna leave my room
Black Capricorn will blow the horn
For all the love that can't be born today
Everybody walk away
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
Friday afternoon is cool
I lost my faith in Sunday school
Deliver me from Liverpool
I feel just like an April fool
Someone's gotta break the rule
Sticking to the script
We built another sinking ship
She's so alone
Never gonna leave my home
Mother nature can't go wrong
The science God's forever strong
A-floating in the great beyond
And everybody sing along
Everybody rock that song
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
Because you're here
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
I'm a lonely, lonely lord
Searchin' all night for the wrong reward
An appetite that's running on all fours
Misdirection waves its wand
Turning my head from black to blonde
Like a queen will now become the pawn
Busted on a ship gone, take me home
Mother named faith, made lightning comes
Busted on a ship that's sailing through the foam
I'm a lonely, lonely lord
Pick another day to be restored
Just another fate that's going overboard
Where misdirection waves its magic wand
Everybody sing that song
Tuesday morning comes along
I read the news, it's all gone wrong
The facts of life have left too soon
Serving up doom and gloom
Never gonna leave my room
Black Capricorn will blow the horn
For all the love that can't be born today
Everybody walk away
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
Friday afternoon is cool
I lost my faith in Sunday school
Deliver me from Liverpool
I feel just like an April fool
Someone's gotta break the rule
Sticking to the script
We built another sinking ship
She's so alone
Never gonna leave my home
Mother nature can't go wrong
The science God's forever strong
A-floating in the great beyond
And everybody sing along
Everybody rock that song
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
Because you're here
Set 'em on up to knock 'em all down
And take me to your leader where the make up
Is fake as fuck
Strap it on in to map it on out
Spin doctors wanna make you think you're straight up
Just out of luck
I'm a lonely, lonely lord
Searchin' all night for the wrong reward
An appetite that's running on all fours
Misdirection waves its wand
Turning my head from black to blonde
Like a queen will now become the pawn
Busted on a ship gone, take me home
Mother named faith, made lightning comes
Busted on a ship that's sailing through the foam
I'm a lonely, lonely lord
Pick another day to be restored
Just another fate that's going overboard
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
for lovekiedis: F.U is on the album Out In LA, its quite a gd album worth getting... It has remixes of all their songs..and some other things like live castles made of sand cover which is great