"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.
She broke my heart on Sunday night, so I didn't go to school
I saw her Monday afternoon and I didn't know what to do
I wanted to go up to her, and get down on my knees
Wanted to tell her that I loved her and that she's all I'll ever need
She's all I thought about for days on end, often cried myself to sleep
I guess it was just mixed signals, I got myself in too deep
She said it definitely wasn't me, that she just needed to be alone
But I've had enough of being by myself and being out here on my own
It sucks to know that you're not wanted
And not good enough for some girl
The trouble was that I still was wanted
And that girl was my whole world
I thought about her constantly
I wanted to break down and cry
The pain was the worst Idd ever felt
Just wanted to give up and die
She said she needed to be by herself and make sure she could survive
She didn't want the pressure of boys making her sad and cry
But she said we'd still be friends and that she'd be there just for me
But friends can become lovers and friends can become enemies
I didn't want that to happen to us, I loved her like no one else
I didn't understand she loved me too, she just needed to find herself
It sucks to feel like you're a loser
And can't get a break at all
It sucks when she says you're not a loser
And is there to break your fall
But falls were not all that she had broken
I loved her oh so much
My heart was among the wreckage
With all the settled dust
She broke my heart on Sunday night, and I still haven't forgot
She's on my mind still, day & night; she's still all that I want
My life's a giant breakup song, from beginning to the end
But I don't mind the breakup, if she'll still hold my hand
I saw her Monday afternoon and I didn't know what to do
I wanted to go up to her, and get down on my knees
Wanted to tell her that I loved her and that she's all I'll ever need
She's all I thought about for days on end, often cried myself to sleep
I guess it was just mixed signals, I got myself in too deep
She said it definitely wasn't me, that she just needed to be alone
But I've had enough of being by myself and being out here on my own
It sucks to know that you're not wanted
And not good enough for some girl
The trouble was that I still was wanted
And that girl was my whole world
I thought about her constantly
I wanted to break down and cry
The pain was the worst Idd ever felt
Just wanted to give up and die
She said she needed to be by herself and make sure she could survive
She didn't want the pressure of boys making her sad and cry
But she said we'd still be friends and that she'd be there just for me
But friends can become lovers and friends can become enemies
I didn't want that to happen to us, I loved her like no one else
I didn't understand she loved me too, she just needed to find herself
It sucks to feel like you're a loser
And can't get a break at all
It sucks when she says you're not a loser
And is there to break your fall
But falls were not all that she had broken
I loved her oh so much
My heart was among the wreckage
With all the settled dust
She broke my heart on Sunday night, and I still haven't forgot
She's on my mind still, day & night; she's still all that I want
My life's a giant breakup song, from beginning to the end
But I don't mind the breakup, if she'll still hold my hand
Lyrics submitted by justakid27
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
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.
rad joint!