"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.
We're leaving together,
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back,
To earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground (leaving ground)
Will things ever be the same again?
It's the final countdown
the final countdown
We're heading for Venus (Venus) and still we stand tall
'Cause maybe they've seen us and welcome us all
With so many light years to go and things to be found (to be found)
I'm sure that we'll all miss her so.
It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown...
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back,
To earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground (leaving ground)
Will things ever be the same again?
It's the final countdown
the final countdown
We're heading for Venus (Venus) and still we stand tall
'Cause maybe they've seen us and welcome us all
With so many light years to go and things to be found (to be found)
I'm sure that we'll all miss her so.
It's the final countdown
The final countdown
The final countdown...
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"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I always thought it was about the apocolypse, i don't know, maybe.
Let me apply this to our seniors graduating...(I'll miss them...) I find no significance to Venus aside from that representing the world out there of adults who will embrace the young adults leaving our high school...they are leaving together at grad but it is still farewell since they separate. It was our last day of school today. Final countdown. This is all out of order..."maybe they've seen us and welcome us all", adults welcoming our grads? Yeah, this was a crappy interpretation but it worked a little. Heh. Don't want our grads to leave.
I think this cover is better than the original. It also irks me how people think this is Children of Bodom
it's a cover.
This song is basically about women, seeing as Venus represents women and femininity, whereas Mars represents men and masculinity. Its about relationships.
The part about the countdown has no real meaning, its just cool and catchy.
cover, retarded, whatever, it's a great song for moments of triumph or that ones prior battles or challenges where may not be a return!
Mankind has left earth ages ago and now, in a distant part of the galaxy, for unknown reasons, there are no women anymore!
That's why they "'re leaving together, But still it's farewell", returning to earth, maybe, .... where could they find females? in venus of course! but it's a long journey and that it's why we are all in a Final Countdown!!
We played this song at graduation this monday. It was an awesome tune.
The original is better. I personally like the Dannii Minogue music video the best of all or maybe the version with the head banging cello players.
A good song if you dont listen to the lyrics. However if you pay any attention to what their saying its retarted. "we heading to venus!" WHAT? Their going to Venus? of all planets... venus? Sorry folks no hidden meanings in lyrics here other then exteme 80's suckage.
On the contrarary a great sports song for the 4th quarter in NBA games.