"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.
I know what it’s like to hide
Sit in your room and break down and cry
And all I could say was your name
I’ve had my share of pain
But I know it’s made me who I am today
So I look back with no regrets
I look back with no regrets
I know that you are watching me
Somewhere over the moon
Shouting down that you love me
Wondering why I can’t hear you
If only for a moment
If only in my mind
I could go back to the beginning
In the place I felt like a child
I can tell you mean well by your eyes
But a father’s intentions can be turned to lies
But nobody’s perfect I guess
People will let you down
I followed the leader that fell to the ground
But you never left me alone
You never left me alone
I know that you are watching me
Somewhere over the moon
Shouting down that you love me
Wondering why I can’t hear you
If only for a moment
If only in my mind
I could go back to the beginning
In the place I felt like a child
I know that you are watching me
Somewhere over the moon
Shouting down that you love me
Wondering why I can’t hear you
If only for a moment
If only in my mind
I could go back to the beginning
In the place I felt like a child
Sit in your room and break down and cry
And all I could say was your name
I’ve had my share of pain
But I know it’s made me who I am today
So I look back with no regrets
I look back with no regrets
I know that you are watching me
Somewhere over the moon
Shouting down that you love me
Wondering why I can’t hear you
If only for a moment
If only in my mind
I could go back to the beginning
In the place I felt like a child
I can tell you mean well by your eyes
But a father’s intentions can be turned to lies
But nobody’s perfect I guess
People will let you down
I followed the leader that fell to the ground
But you never left me alone
You never left me alone
I know that you are watching me
Somewhere over the moon
Shouting down that you love me
Wondering why I can’t hear you
If only for a moment
If only in my mind
I could go back to the beginning
In the place I felt like a child
I know that you are watching me
Somewhere over the moon
Shouting down that you love me
Wondering why I can’t hear you
If only for a moment
If only in my mind
I could go back to the beginning
In the place I felt like a child
Lyrics submitted by Darkraph244
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I do wonder if people actually read into the lyrics of Lifehouse's songs before jumping on the "I think it's about God" bandwagon. Sounds harsh, but I think the majority of the song is far too literal in the way it speaks about a person for it to be about God.
Take for example the first verse, and the lines
And all I could say was your name I’ve had my share of pain But I know it’s made me who I am today
It wouldn't make sense for this to be about God, in my opinion. Also, the second verse says -
I can tell you mean well by your eyes But a father’s intentions can be turned to lies But nobody’s perfect I guess
Now this says to me that it could well be about Jason's father leaving. If he's reading someone through eye contact, it's not going to be about God, then the line "A father's intentions..." sort of gives it away to me. Something about the father intending to always be there for him but it quickly became a lie and he walked away (or something similar).
The song is brilliant though, quite frankly. The chorus is beautiful (and also doesn't make complete sense in the context of God, as I don't see God "Shouting down that you love me, Wondering why I can't hear you"). Not that I doubt any connection to God in certain songs, but as far as I've seen from Lifehouse's lyrics, they're more related to life in general than just about their relationship with God.