"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.
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
It's starting to get old
That story that untold
Reflect before we walk into
What we already know
Won't be so easy
Looking back at high school drama
Didn't try to fix what we thought were problems
Someone's writing empty letters
Is there no other way?
Staring at your reflection every day
Can make or break my heart away
When you won't listen to what's hard for me to say
Those tear stained eyes can make me feel so sad
And once again we're further away from what we never had
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
Just run away with so much left to share
It's just not enough
When we're so much more than friends
We're much too young to throw away our cares
There's no sense in regretting what's been said in our yesterdays
We're getting backwards double
We can look ahead
And I would walk so much further just to know what I'm doing here
And there's no end to what I'd give to know just what you meant when you said
How can I feel alive when we can't help but break our backs just to survive?
Is this another time we can't control our lives?
Those tear stained eyes can make me feel so sad
And once again we're further away from what we never had
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
Just run away with so much left to share
It's just not enough
When we're so much more than friends
We're much too young to throw away our cares
How can I feel alive when we can't help but break our backs just to survive?
Is this another time we can't control our lives?
Those tear stained eyes can make me feel so sad
And once again we're further away from what we never had
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
Just run away with so much left to share
It's just not enough
When we're so much more than friends
We're much too young to throw away our cares
It's starting to get old
That story that untold
Reflect before we walk into
What we already know
Won't be so easy
Looking back at high school drama
Didn't try to fix what we thought were problems
Someone's writing empty letters
Is there no other way?
Staring at your reflection every day
Can make or break my heart away
When you won't listen to what's hard for me to say
Those tear stained eyes can make me feel so sad
And once again we're further away from what we never had
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
Just run away with so much left to share
It's just not enough
When we're so much more than friends
We're much too young to throw away our cares
There's no sense in regretting what's been said in our yesterdays
We're getting backwards double
We can look ahead
And I would walk so much further just to know what I'm doing here
And there's no end to what I'd give to know just what you meant when you said
How can I feel alive when we can't help but break our backs just to survive?
Is this another time we can't control our lives?
Those tear stained eyes can make me feel so sad
And once again we're further away from what we never had
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
Just run away with so much left to share
It's just not enough
When we're so much more than friends
We're much too young to throw away our cares
How can I feel alive when we can't help but break our backs just to survive?
Is this another time we can't control our lives?
Those tear stained eyes can make me feel so sad
And once again we're further away from what we never had
So why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings?
Just run away with so much left to share
It's just not enough
When we're so much more than friends
We're much too young to throw away our cares
Lyrics submitted by TheSpiltCanvas
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
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.
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.
this song is so rad, I love these guys, from what I've heard of samples, this one and one other are the only full songs I've heard, I'm gonna get the cd for sure though
i agree with running_on_empty......this song is one of my favorites.i HAVE to find the cd.sheez....i've been looking for it for a couple of months now.gawsh.
Easy to get in the northwest..duh but outside its pretty hard
OMG this song fucking rocks this band is so fucking awesome when i hear them i pop a bonner every fucking time man i mean geez their fucking awesome i love their cd i tried to have sex with it but it didnt fit in the fucking hole (too big)......... You guys should all shut the fuck up your supposed to comment on what you think the song is about not what oh i love this band if you love them so much you should appriciate them by trying to guess what their singing about i come on this site for help and i find fucking stupid shit like their so awesome blah blah blah....... the only reason you fucking idiots dont know what the song is about is cause you retards dont fucking understand it
and it about not wanting one night stands because they'll never see each other again
could be looked at it like that, but i think it's about how when you're growing up you don't think about the things that matter most. you don't think about what you have. and when something little comes along, you think about throwing it away. trust me, i spent hours on end listening to my amber pacific cd with this song on repeat when me and my ex broke up/
Real bummer that this song isn't on the new full length album...
My amazing boyfriend scooped up the Fading Days ep and the new full length for me. He got the new cd for me, along with a poster and button, the day before it was released. What a gem, he's got connections because a radio DJ.
But anyway... To me, this song describes how my current relationship was at the very beginning. It was so difficult since he was in his last year of college and I was in my sophomore year of high school. His future is so uncertain since he has to go get a real job and the path he's taken may take him pfarther away from me than I could possibly ever imagine. "why should I take your hand when you can't promise happy endings" That just seemed to sum it all up for me. I was so scared that this ending could in no way be happy. All of the words just mixed into all of my emotions at the start of this new relationship. It was difficult, but it's getting clearer with each passing day.
I love the song and it has so much personal meaning to me. Amber Pacific is so emotional and I love them.
I first heard this sone on a Warped Tour compilation. It quickly became my favorite song in the entire two-disk set. The lyrics for this song are so brilliant...
"Once again we're further away from what we never had."
Yeah, why keep being in love with someone you know won't love you back? Love you, Amber Pacific.
this song is awesome, just kinda pisses me off when they say "...we're further away from what we never had." It should be farther XD