"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.
new plague, getting paid, everyone is guilty
Taxes on the lotto, waters gotten filthy
Psychos, weirdos, percocet and morphine
Little imperfections cost us all!
Cost us all!
I saw a mille filled with frightened people!
Crashing down, into a ball of flames!
SOMETHING TELLS ME IT'S ALMOST OVER!!
SOMEONE TELL THEM IT'S ALMOST OVER!!
Slave camps, last dance, billion dollar mishaps!?!
Bombshells, nitor, anything that you can throw!
Housewives, onion rings, A.O.L. and crashing planes!
Second rate therapy... Everybody's crazy!
I saw a black cloud above the forest!
Wiping clean till nothing else remained!!!
SOMETHING TELLS ME IT'S ALMOST OVER!
SOMEONE TELL THEM IT'S ALMOST OVER!!!!!
Monstrous, what we've become! Space waste ! Brain dumb!
Nostradomus... Prophecies! Welfare!! ENEMYS!!!! ENEMYS!!!! ENEMYS!!!!
Taxes on the lotto, waters gotten filthy
Psychos, weirdos, percocet and morphine
Little imperfections cost us all!
Cost us all!
I saw a mille filled with frightened people!
Crashing down, into a ball of flames!
SOMETHING TELLS ME IT'S ALMOST OVER!!
SOMEONE TELL THEM IT'S ALMOST OVER!!
Slave camps, last dance, billion dollar mishaps!?!
Bombshells, nitor, anything that you can throw!
Housewives, onion rings, A.O.L. and crashing planes!
Second rate therapy... Everybody's crazy!
I saw a black cloud above the forest!
Wiping clean till nothing else remained!!!
SOMETHING TELLS ME IT'S ALMOST OVER!
SOMEONE TELL THEM IT'S ALMOST OVER!!!!!
Monstrous, what we've become! Space waste ! Brain dumb!
Nostradomus... Prophecies! Welfare!! ENEMYS!!!! ENEMYS!!!! ENEMYS!!!!
Lyrics submitted by ruben
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
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
this song is about all the negitiveity in the world these days
I agree. It specifically talks about suicide bombers in "I saw a missile filled with frightened people crashing down into a ball of flames." Great song, great band.
the songs is about the prophecies of nostradomus, the main one in witch is that the world would end in (is it 2012 or 2020? dont remember...) that hints the chorus ...this song could have really been written much better....maybe its just some of the lyrics are wrong..or maybe its just this horribly written..atleast it sounds good..
First off, I've been coming to this site for years, and I signed up JUST NOW so that i could comment this.. i've been a motograter fan for at least 6 years, I've never trash talked anything online, and i don't plan on it, but i'm bored, so BUG OFF! :D
Secondly, whoever posted the lyrics did a horrible job at it. Not only do typos bug the crap out of me, but the last line is "Nostradomus... Prophecies! WARFARE!! ENEMYS!!!!" And you left the entire part about "makes me sick to know that it's your fault makes me sick to know that it's you makes me sick to know that it's your fault makes me sick it makes me ill" (which COULD be an anti george bush thing..)
And thirdly, @poopytheclown, you were goin in the right direction, and yes, some of the lyrics are wrong, but Nostradamus was said to have predicted 9/11 which is supposed to be the beginning of the end of the world hence the "i saw a missle filled with frightened people" thing.. 2012 is something completely different involving the mayan calendar..
This song definitely goes deeper then just 9/11 and the end of the world.. As i previously mentioned the George Bush thing, I believe it also has to do with what's wrong with the world, and the outcome that we're pushing ourselves into..
"New plague, getting paid, everyone is guilty Taxes on the lotto, waters gotten filthy Psychos, weirdos, percocet and morphine Little imperfections cost us all!"
In "cost(ing) us all" i think he's speaking of the arrogance and ignorance we americans are guilty of.. That's why so many countrys hate us.. You know what.. nevermind... I'll just explain it as "cause and effect" We fucked up, and the worlds going to shit. The end.
Now i regret making this account. Goodbye!