"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.
The fastest man in the world, fast asleep at the wheel
Nobody wants to be alone, so how did I get, here
When I look at you, I see him staring through
A wink and smile, 'cause he's been inside of you
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into
Is he everything to you
Does he make you high, make you real
Does he make you cry
Does he know the way you feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
I can still find the smell
On my clothes and skin
I can still see your face, when you're sleeping next to him
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into
Tell me does he
Does he make you high, make you real
Does he make you cry
Does he know the way you feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
I've had enough of fears, you let them out
Now I wrap myself around you
Like a blanket full of doubt
He's your everything
Does he make you high, make you real
Does he make you cry
Does he know the way you feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
You make me high
You make me real
You make me cry
Now you know the way I feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
Nobody wants to be alone, so how did I get, here
When I look at you, I see him staring through
A wink and smile, 'cause he's been inside of you
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into
Is he everything to you
Does he make you high, make you real
Does he make you cry
Does he know the way you feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
I can still find the smell
On my clothes and skin
I can still see your face, when you're sleeping next to him
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into
Tell me does he
Does he make you high, make you real
Does he make you cry
Does he know the way you feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
I've had enough of fears, you let them out
Now I wrap myself around you
Like a blanket full of doubt
He's your everything
Does he make you high, make you real
Does he make you cry
Does he know the way you feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
You make me high
You make me real
You make me cry
Now you know the way I feel
Love is all around you, your universe is full
But in my world, there is only you
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
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"
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Amazing song. One of my all time favorites.
"The fastest man in the world, fast asleep at the wheel"
---I have two ideas for what this could mean: I think the line's meaning is that he's not just your average person, but even someone who is a talented/exceptional person can still fall asleep at the wheel. This could refer to either:
"I can still find the smell, on my clothes and skin" ---Definitely refers to the girl's smell. Probably means the singer was with her at one point before the current boyfriend.
My favorite lines are the most powerful lines where the singer turns the chorus around the last time through with the emotional
"You make me high! You make me real! You make me cry! Now you know the way I feel Love is all around you, your universe is full But in my world, there is only you"
It's all about loving someone with every piece of your heart, and this song captures that feeling so perfectly.
An interesting play on words with the title... There are different times where the song says the words "my world" as in "but in my world, there is only you"....so it seems apparent that that is where the title comes from. He's talking about his world, meaning for his life there is only her. But the song title "My World" could double to mean that the girl about whom he is singing is actually "His World", as if I were to say "This girl is my world."
Not sure about the title thing, but I always found that interesting. Amazing song with true feeling. I still don't understand how this song never became bigger than it is, because it's so relatable and the music is so good.
this song was my theme song. every line is so full of wanting.
perfect song for my current situation
This song isn't as known as it should be. I will analyze it now.
This dude... he's lost her. And hell, he NEEDS her back.
These lyrics aren't correct.
The fastest man in the world, fast asleep at the wheel Nobody wants to be alone, so how did I get, here When I look at you, I see him staring through, me A wink and a smile, 'Cause he's been inside of you
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into? Is he everything to you?
Does he make you high, make you real? Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel? Love is all around you, your universe is full But in my world, there is only you
I can still find the smell On my clothes and skin I can still see your face, when your sleeping next to him
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into? Tell me does he
make you high, make you real? Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel? Love is all around you, your universe is full But in my world...
I have my fears, you let them out Now I wrap myself around you Like a blanket full of doubt The darkness burns, the sunlight stings He's your everything
Does he make you high, make you real? Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel? Love is all around you, your universe is full But in my world...
You make me high! You make me real! You make me cry! Now you know the way I feel Love is all around you, your universe is full But in my world, there is only you
I went through the song and copied them as so. =D
I ADORE THIS SONG. The lyrics are so powerful, and touching...the band is awesome.
This song is exactly how i felt when my girlfriend broke up with me, and then she started to like this other person but then she came back to me, so this song is exactly whats going on with me, its awesome!
The beginning usually gets me...
The fastest man in the world Fast asleep at the weel
Gives me chills! Great song.
Love this song becuase it reminds me of a movie xD
this song is amazing the lyrics are so passionate they just get to you, like the line "when i look at you, i see him staring through, a wink and a smile, cuz he's been inside of you" is just so penetrating. this song gets right under your skin in a good way, if that makes any sense its also the best structured song i have ever heard its not predictable at all cuz of complete changes in mood like in the beginning and end of the song the lead singer mitch says "in my world" so much power, then weakly utters out "there is only... you" but in the middle of the song, he takes a completely different approach when he says "in my world" and the crescendo takes it into the most powerful part of the song.
this song is ridiculously good
i just want to add that it's so damn briliant how the beginning of the song refers to the relationship between a girl and her new boyfriend "does he make you high...". then at the end he says "you make me high", changing the roles in the song. suddenly it transforms from a song about the shoddy relationship a girl has with her new boyfriend to the relationship between the singer and the girl. it says "does he do this for you? does he do that?...etc" then it says "you do this for me". its like he's pleading that she realize her value to him. sick.
a few questions though--
what do the lines "the fastest man in the world, fast asleep at the wheel" mean
and how about "i can still find the smell, on my clothes and skin"-- what smell is he talking about