"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 I got a bad reputation
And it isn't just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven't got
I couldn't have one conversation
If it wasn't for the lies, lies, lies
And still I want to tell you everything
Until I close my eyes
Suddenly I'm on the street
Seven years disappeared
Below my feet
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm down in Harold Square
Looking in a crowd
Your face is everywhere
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Don't try to be an inspiration
You're just wasting your time, time, time
You know I'm about the best I'll ever be
I see it in your eyes
I know I got a bad reputation
And it isn't just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven't got
Suddenly I'm on the street
Seven years disappeared
Below my feet
Been breakin down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm in another place
Looking in the crowd
I think I see your face
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Don't you think I've heard the talk
Nobody's going to tell me who to look
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm in Harold Square
Looking in a crowd
Your face is everywhere
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
But I'm just breaking down, down, down, down, down
Been breaking down, down, down, down, down
Been breaking down, down, down, down, down
Been breaking down, down, down, down, down
And it isn't just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven't got
I couldn't have one conversation
If it wasn't for the lies, lies, lies
And still I want to tell you everything
Until I close my eyes
Suddenly I'm on the street
Seven years disappeared
Below my feet
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm down in Harold Square
Looking in a crowd
Your face is everywhere
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Don't try to be an inspiration
You're just wasting your time, time, time
You know I'm about the best I'll ever be
I see it in your eyes
I know I got a bad reputation
And it isn't just talk, talk, talk
If I could only give you everything
You know I haven't got
Suddenly I'm on the street
Seven years disappeared
Below my feet
Been breakin down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm in another place
Looking in the crowd
I think I see your face
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Don't you think I've heard the talk
Nobody's going to tell me who to look
Been breaking down
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Suddenly I'm in Harold Square
Looking in a crowd
Your face is everywhere
Been turning around
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
Do you want me now?
But I'm just breaking down, down, down, down, down
Been breaking down, down, down, down, down
Been breaking down, down, down, down, down
Been breaking down, down, down, down, down
Lyrics submitted by andycapp
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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"
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.
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.
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.
"I know I got a bad reputation And it isn't just talk talk talk If I could only give you everything You know I haven't got I couldn't have one conversation If it wasn't for the lies lies lies And still I wanna tell you everything Till I close my eyes"
A guy has a bad reputation, (obviously) and it's all true. He can't ever have a conversation with someone without lying to them. In a nutshell, he's fucked. He wants to tell (someone) the truth till he's exhausted and closes his eyes but can't seem too.
"Suddenly I'm on the street Seven years disappeared Below my feet Been breakin down Do you want me now? Do you want me now?
He's livingo n the street now because he's so messed up, 7 years went by so fast he doesn't remember it. Or maybe he did so much drugs and drank too much alcohol to remember it all? He asks a girl, "Do you want me now?" I think it's a reverse psychology deal. He will only trust the girl if the girl can truly love him for all his good and bad qualities. He's hit rock bottom, but he still wants her love, and that's the only thing that matters.
"Suddenly I'm down in Harold Square Looking in a crowd Your face is everywhere Been turning around Do you want me now? Do you want me now?"
He can't get her out of his mind. Her face is everywhere. Does she still want him after all he did?
"Don't try to be an inspiration You're just wasting your time time time You know I'm 'bout the best I'll ever be I see it in your eyes I know I got a bad reputation And it isn't just talk talk talk If I could only give you everything You know I haven't got"
He doesn't want her help. Doesn't want her to think she can fix him. Where he is right then, how bad his life is is the best he'll ever be. He's not going to get any better...He wants her to know he's a bad guy, but he'd give her everything he doesn't even have if she wanted...
"Suddenly I'm in another place Looking in the crowd I think I see your face Been turning round Do you want me now? Do you want me now?"
Now things are switched, he thinks he sees her face so he turns around and wants to know if she still wants him. Her face isn't "everywhere" now, but he still wants her.
"Don't you think I've heard the talk Nobody's gonna tell me who to look Been breakin' down Do you want me now? Do you want me now?
But I'm just breakin' down down down down down Been breakin' down down down down down Been breakin' down down down down down Been breakin' down down down down down"
Nobody will ever be able to tell him who to love, meaning he loves her despite everybody. But he's breaking down and he's not good enough for her.
In fact he's been breaking down all his life and he needs her to know that.
@DCfC_hysteria, it's been over four years since you posted your interpretation of Freedy Johnston's song, "Bad Reputation," but I had to sign up with songmeanings to tell you what a superb job you did at describing this song. Excellent work. : )