"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.
Lost in space above all drifting
To a place where planets shifting
The moon erased, it's features lifting
The glare
But I am the stuff of happy endings
Though mostly bluff, belief suspending
But close enough for just pretending
To care
And I'm pretending to care
When I'm not even there
Gone but I don't know where
Well she's the faith and I'm the devil
Who keeps the pace and clears the rubble
And lost in space, fills up the bubble
With air
By just pretending to care
Like I'm not even there
Gone but I don't know where
It split like a cell
And man cannot tell
The lie from parallel
So baby beware
I'm just pretending to care
Like I'm not even there
Gone but I don't know where
Gone but I don't know where
Gone but I don't know where
To a place where planets shifting
The moon erased, it's features lifting
The glare
But I am the stuff of happy endings
Though mostly bluff, belief suspending
But close enough for just pretending
To care
And I'm pretending to care
When I'm not even there
Gone but I don't know where
Well she's the faith and I'm the devil
Who keeps the pace and clears the rubble
And lost in space, fills up the bubble
With air
By just pretending to care
Like I'm not even there
Gone but I don't know where
It split like a cell
And man cannot tell
The lie from parallel
So baby beware
I'm just pretending to care
Like I'm not even there
Gone but I don't know where
Gone but I don't know where
Gone but I don't know where
Lyrics submitted by AgathaKavka
Lost in Space Lyrics as written by Vincent Crane John Ducann
Lyrics © DELLA BLUE MUSIC LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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Page
Ed Sheeran
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I know Lost in Space is primarily about addiction, but I think this song also fits very well with depression. It doesn't read as ironic to me so much as detached. The sudden onset of depression or severe anxiety can leave family and friends confused about the disappearance of the person they knew and loved. To me, this sounds like the feeling of suddenly realizing that everyone around you is talking about someone else when they are actually talking about how you used to be.
Alternatively, the feeling of hiding a problem or hurt can also create that detachment: the line "she's the face" is I think actually talking about the speaker. She is both the face and the double, faking happiness or going about her daily life efficiently, while no one is aware that it feels as though someone else is living her life.
This is a fascinating interpretation, and I think it works. I hadn't seen the song from this perspective. My interpretation (above yours) is mostly based on my knowledge of Mann writing many songs that comment (often with dry wit) on her relationships with men. "Guys Like Me" is another song of that vein on this album.