"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.
Sho' 'nuff, shorty
What it do? Yeah
Ooh
Sho' 'nuff, pimping
Oh boy, uh
What y'all know about a supermodel?
Fresh out of Elle magazine
Buy her own bottles
Look, pimp juice, I keep me one
Bad than a mother
Oh, now (I hear you saying, I need a bad girl)
Let me hear you (if you're a bad girl)
Oh, players, when you see me
Act like you know me
I keep a dollar worth of dimes
You know pimping ain't easy
For all my chicks in the club
Who knows how to cut a rug
If you're a bad girl
Get at me, bad girl
Ooh, work me, baby
Shaking it the way I like
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (say, yeah)
Get at me, bad girl
What sexy lady's
Coming home with me tonight?
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (super bad, baby)
Get at me, bad girl (oh oh)
Now, I've seen a lot of broads (sugar)
All on one accord
Everyone looked the same
But take a look at my dame (my dame)
For sure, she take that Hypnotic or Alizé
There ain't much more I can say
But I need a (I need a bad girl)
Bad girl, yeah (if you're a bad girl)
Oh, got one thou' on the bar, now
Chick need a drink on the floor, now
Look at them bad girls moving it
Making faces while they doing it
Ah, I want to take one to the restroom
So close, I'm smelling like your perfume
If you're a bad girl
Get at me, bad girl
Ooh, work me, baby (yeah)
Shaking it the way I like
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (say, yeah)
Get at me, bad girl
What sexy lady's
Coming home with me tonight?
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (super bad, baby)
Get at me, bad girl (ah oh)
I'ma get me one of them (oh oh), get me one of them
Get me one of them (one of them), get me one of them
Get me one of them (oh oh), oh, oh, oh, oh
Get at me, bad girl
I'ma get me one of them (oh), get me one of them
Get me one of them, get me one of them (maybe two or three)
Get me one of them, oh, oh, oh, oh (that's cool with me, shorty)
Get at me, bad girl (ooh, I need a bad girl, oh)
If you wanna party
I got what you're looking for
Come see me in the V.I.P. (for bad company)
It's very necessary
To be that kind of girl for me
If you are, then, baby girl, let's leave
Ah oh
Ooh, work me, baby (ah, boogie, baby)
Shaking it the way I like (ooh shake it, baby)
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (say, yeah)
Get at me, bad girl (oh, what sexy lady)
What sexy lady's
Coming home with me tonight?
I'm ready to be bad (I'm ready to be bad)
I need a bad girl (I need to be bad) super bad, baby
Get at me, bad girl (ooh bad girl, oh)
I'ma get me one of them, get me one of them
Get me one of them (one of them) get me one of them
Get me one of them, oh, oh, oh, oh
Get at me, bad girl
I'ma get me one of them, get me one of them
Get me one of them, get me one of them
Get me one of them, oh, oh, oh, oh
Get at me, bad girl
I'ma get me one of them (calling all girls, around the world)
Get me one of them
Get me one of them (yeah, get bad)
Get me one of them (if you're out there)
Get me one of them (I wanna see you)
Oh, oh, oh, oh (if you hear me)
Get at me, bad girl (get at me, bad girls)
I'ma get me one of them (around the world)
Get me one of them
Get me one of them (yeah, stay bad)
Get me one of them (if you're out there)
Get me one of them (I wanna see you)
Oh, oh, oh, oh (if you hear me)
Get at me, bad girl
What it do? Yeah
Ooh
Sho' 'nuff, pimping
Oh boy, uh
What y'all know about a supermodel?
Fresh out of Elle magazine
Buy her own bottles
Look, pimp juice, I keep me one
Bad than a mother
Oh, now (I hear you saying, I need a bad girl)
Let me hear you (if you're a bad girl)
Oh, players, when you see me
Act like you know me
I keep a dollar worth of dimes
You know pimping ain't easy
For all my chicks in the club
Who knows how to cut a rug
If you're a bad girl
Get at me, bad girl
Ooh, work me, baby
Shaking it the way I like
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (say, yeah)
Get at me, bad girl
What sexy lady's
Coming home with me tonight?
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (super bad, baby)
Get at me, bad girl (oh oh)
Now, I've seen a lot of broads (sugar)
All on one accord
Everyone looked the same
But take a look at my dame (my dame)
For sure, she take that Hypnotic or Alizé
There ain't much more I can say
But I need a (I need a bad girl)
Bad girl, yeah (if you're a bad girl)
Oh, got one thou' on the bar, now
Chick need a drink on the floor, now
Look at them bad girls moving it
Making faces while they doing it
Ah, I want to take one to the restroom
So close, I'm smelling like your perfume
If you're a bad girl
Get at me, bad girl
Ooh, work me, baby (yeah)
Shaking it the way I like
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (say, yeah)
Get at me, bad girl
What sexy lady's
Coming home with me tonight?
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (super bad, baby)
Get at me, bad girl (ah oh)
I'ma get me one of them (oh oh), get me one of them
Get me one of them (one of them), get me one of them
Get me one of them (oh oh), oh, oh, oh, oh
Get at me, bad girl
I'ma get me one of them (oh), get me one of them
Get me one of them, get me one of them (maybe two or three)
Get me one of them, oh, oh, oh, oh (that's cool with me, shorty)
Get at me, bad girl (ooh, I need a bad girl, oh)
If you wanna party
I got what you're looking for
Come see me in the V.I.P. (for bad company)
It's very necessary
To be that kind of girl for me
If you are, then, baby girl, let's leave
Ah oh
Ooh, work me, baby (ah, boogie, baby)
Shaking it the way I like (ooh shake it, baby)
I'm ready to be bad
I need a bad girl (say, yeah)
Get at me, bad girl (oh, what sexy lady)
What sexy lady's
Coming home with me tonight?
I'm ready to be bad (I'm ready to be bad)
I need a bad girl (I need to be bad) super bad, baby
Get at me, bad girl (ooh bad girl, oh)
I'ma get me one of them, get me one of them
Get me one of them (one of them) get me one of them
Get me one of them, oh, oh, oh, oh
Get at me, bad girl
I'ma get me one of them, get me one of them
Get me one of them, get me one of them
Get me one of them, oh, oh, oh, oh
Get at me, bad girl
I'ma get me one of them (calling all girls, around the world)
Get me one of them
Get me one of them (yeah, get bad)
Get me one of them (if you're out there)
Get me one of them (I wanna see you)
Oh, oh, oh, oh (if you hear me)
Get at me, bad girl (get at me, bad girls)
I'ma get me one of them (around the world)
Get me one of them
Get me one of them (yeah, stay bad)
Get me one of them (if you're out there)
Get me one of them (I wanna see you)
Oh, oh, oh, oh (if you hear me)
Get at me, bad girl
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
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,
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.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
another song about being a playa. Stupid concept. This song would be 10x better if it spoke about the real stuff. I love the beat but enough playa songs already.