"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.
Memories of you
That I just don't have right now
I'll make them up
One cup of wanting you
Two cups of hoping somehow
These things come true
While I'm staring at pictures of you
While I'm staring at pictures of you
Yearning
Longing
Making up memories of you
Making up memories of you
For now.. your picture will do
Dialing you up in my sleep when the nights wearing thin
Won't make it right
My reasons to want to
And 100 reasons to lie
When I don't want to
While I'm staring at pictures of you
While I'm staring at pictures of you
Yearning
Longing
Making up memories of you
Making up memories of you
For now.. your picture will do
That I just don't have right now
I'll make them up
One cup of wanting you
Two cups of hoping somehow
These things come true
While I'm staring at pictures of you
While I'm staring at pictures of you
Yearning
Longing
Making up memories of you
Making up memories of you
For now.. your picture will do
Dialing you up in my sleep when the nights wearing thin
Won't make it right
My reasons to want to
And 100 reasons to lie
When I don't want to
While I'm staring at pictures of you
While I'm staring at pictures of you
Yearning
Longing
Making up memories of you
Making up memories of you
For now.. your picture will do
Lyrics submitted by Hunter
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
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.
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.
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.
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.
great sunset song, or windy day song, or driving-back-home-after-saying-a-sad-goodbye song
The P.E.R.F.E.C.T song to listen to before going to sleep. The lyrics are incredibly deep too.
I never lose photos for this exact reason.
Not even gonna lie, my favorite Ryan Adams song of all time. It's so heartbreaking and beautiful--everyone can relate to it.
...5 months ago my boyfriend of 3 years broke up with me and I painfully think of him everyday and often look through pictures of us. To me, this song is about that sort of thing--a break-up. When you look at pictures and remember all the memories and moments together. You want them so much, you want things to go back to the way they were..."hoping somehow these things come true..."
And then you always wonder if it's only the memories you love and miss, and wonder if perhaps you're making up so many great memories when there maybe weren't so many memories..."100 reasons to lie"...and you wonder if things can be patched by just that one conversation of feelings.
Maybe I'm taking it too personally, but music changes for every person. This song definitely sums up all I've felt since we broke up.
This song describes perfectly what I went through before me and my girlfriend met.<br /> <br /> We chatted online for about 2 months before I actually met her at college and the whole time I was envisioning myself with her and "making memories of us" but all i had of her was a picture. Needless to say I played this song for her when we met....guess it worked!
This song to me is about having a picture of someone you love, and because you arent together u make up memories of the two of you together, memories that you could have had! I think the end "for now... your picture will do" is just so sad, its just so desperate sounding, but so beautiful!!
To me this song reminds me of my love. I see her pictures all the time, and she is not here, so I think of what could be. What I want to happen in the futur for us. Well said Angel.
To me this song reminds me of my love. I see her pictures all the time, and she is not here, so I think of what could be. What I want to happen in the futur for us. Well said Angel.
i just discovered this song last night and it's my story...mine and my boyfriend's. we're apart, more often than not and today i lost the only photograph i had of him(i work overseas).it's sooo infinitely sad and i soooo relate .
This may sound cheesy, but I'm going to play this song on piano and sing it for my Miss Mandarin pageant at my high school. It's a perfectly sweet and plaintive song.
for now... your picture will do. that just hurts you doesnt it hhahaahha. it means that the person you love the most isnt with you, but still youd settle for their picture so i guess its a positive outlook on it.