"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.
One, two, three, let's go
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Go, go, go, 50 in the house
Bounce, y'all already know what I'm about
The flow sounds sicker over Dre drums, nigga
I ain't stupid, I see Doc then my doe come quicker, whoa
Shorty hips is hypnotic, she moves it so erotic
I watch her, I'm like, "Bounce that ass, girl"
I get it crump in here, I make it jump in here
Front in here, we'll thump in here, oh
So gutter, so ghetto, so hood
So gully, so grimey, what's good?
Outside the Benzo on dubs, I'm in the club with the snub
Don't' start nothin', it won't be nothin', uh
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Let's party, everybody stand up
Everybody put your hands up
Let's party, everybody bounce with me
Sip champagne and burn a lil' greenery
It's hot, disco inferno
Let's go, you're now rockin' with a pro
I get dough to flip dough, to get more fo' sho'
Get my drink on, then get on the dance floor
Look, homie, I don't dance, all I do is this
It's the same two-step with a lil' twist
Listen, pimpin', I ain't new to this, I'm true to this
Pay attention, boy, I'll teach you how to do this shit
You mix a lil' Cris' with a lil' Dom Perignon
And a lil' Hennessy, you know we finna carry on
I'm hollerin' at these shorties in the club tryna get right
We gon' be up in this bitch 'til we break daylight
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
You see me shining, lit up with diamonds
'Cause I stay grinding, uh-huh
Homie, you can catch me swoopin'
Bentley coupin', switching lanes, haha
If you see me rollin', you know I'm holdin'
I'm 'bout my paper, yeah
Nigga, I'm serious, I ain't playin'
I'll embed it in your brain, I'm off the chain, G-Unit
Next level now, turn it up a notch
Em and Dre sent me to tear up the spot
Front on me, oh no, you know I'm loco
Hands up on the dance floor, okay, let's go
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Go, go, go, 50 in the house
Bounce, y'all already know what I'm about
The flow sounds sicker over Dre drums, nigga
I ain't stupid, I see Doc then my doe come quicker, whoa
Shorty hips is hypnotic, she moves it so erotic
I watch her, I'm like, "Bounce that ass, girl"
I get it crump in here, I make it jump in here
Front in here, we'll thump in here, oh
So gutter, so ghetto, so hood
So gully, so grimey, what's good?
Outside the Benzo on dubs, I'm in the club with the snub
Don't' start nothin', it won't be nothin', uh
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Let's party, everybody stand up
Everybody put your hands up
Let's party, everybody bounce with me
Sip champagne and burn a lil' greenery
It's hot, disco inferno
Let's go, you're now rockin' with a pro
I get dough to flip dough, to get more fo' sho'
Get my drink on, then get on the dance floor
Look, homie, I don't dance, all I do is this
It's the same two-step with a lil' twist
Listen, pimpin', I ain't new to this, I'm true to this
Pay attention, boy, I'll teach you how to do this shit
You mix a lil' Cris' with a lil' Dom Perignon
And a lil' Hennessy, you know we finna carry on
I'm hollerin' at these shorties in the club tryna get right
We gon' be up in this bitch 'til we break daylight
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
You see me shining, lit up with diamonds
'Cause I stay grinding, uh-huh
Homie, you can catch me swoopin'
Bentley coupin', switching lanes, haha
If you see me rollin', you know I'm holdin'
I'm 'bout my paper, yeah
Nigga, I'm serious, I ain't playin'
I'll embed it in your brain, I'm off the chain, G-Unit
Next level now, turn it up a notch
Em and Dre sent me to tear up the spot
Front on me, oh no, you know I'm loco
Hands up on the dance floor, okay, let's go
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
Lil' mama, show me how you move it
Go 'head, put your back into it
Do your thing like it ain't nothin' to it
Shake, sh-sh-shake that ass, girl
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Fun party song.