"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 got a cottage with a sea view
I got a regular summer tan
I've been working up the courage to call you all year, oh
There is nothing I can say
There are no good words left anyway
Besides people look cool and the world still moves without you, oh
Welcome to my Californian home
You don't have to call me you can leave when you want
There's a picture by my bed
There's a light in your eyes
I don't know
Well I don't know
Why you still feel alone
And we were dying from the get go
I was dreaming but you never believed
I was trying to fit myself in the spaces between, oh
And you were kind and sometimes cruel
You said all the world's love couldn't satisfy you
And nothing could have hurt me as much as it's truth
Oh darling
Welcome to my Californian home
You don't have to call me you can leave when you want
There's a picture by my bed
There's a light in your eyes
I don't know
Tell me 'cause I want to find out
Do you still feel alone?
Love is elusive when you search for it
Don't I know
Happiness sometimes it just creeps in
Don't I know
I'm going crazy
I've been wondering
Do you still feel alone?
I need to find
Some kind of peace of mind
I need to find
I got a cottage with a sea view
I got a regular summer tan
I know that I deserve more
But I still want you
Welcome to my Californian home
You don't have to call me you can leave when you want
There's a picture by my bed
There's a light in your eyes
I don't know
Tell me 'cause I want to find out
Do you still feel?
Welcome to my California
(I need to find)
Even though I'm no good for you
(Some kind of peace of mind)
There's a part of me still waiting for you
(I need to find)
Welcome to my happy ending
(I need to find)
Even though it's fun pretending
(Some kind of peace of mind)
I know
I know you can't look back, you can never go back
Welcome to my Californian home
You can never go back
Welcome to my Californian home
I know
You can never go back
Welcome to my Californian home
I know
You can never go back
I know I need to find, do you still feel?
Welcome to my California
(I need to find)
Even though I'm no good for you
(Some kind of peace of mind)
Deep inside there's a piece of me, there's a piece of me
Still waiting for you to come home
Welcome to my Californian home
(I need to find)
I know you can never look back, you can never look back again
(Some kind of peace of mind)
But tell me 'cause I want to find out
Do you still feel alone?
Oh no
Do you still feel alone?
Oh no
I got a regular summer tan
I've been working up the courage to call you all year, oh
There is nothing I can say
There are no good words left anyway
Besides people look cool and the world still moves without you, oh
Welcome to my Californian home
You don't have to call me you can leave when you want
There's a picture by my bed
There's a light in your eyes
I don't know
Well I don't know
Why you still feel alone
And we were dying from the get go
I was dreaming but you never believed
I was trying to fit myself in the spaces between, oh
And you were kind and sometimes cruel
You said all the world's love couldn't satisfy you
And nothing could have hurt me as much as it's truth
Oh darling
Welcome to my Californian home
You don't have to call me you can leave when you want
There's a picture by my bed
There's a light in your eyes
I don't know
Tell me 'cause I want to find out
Do you still feel alone?
Love is elusive when you search for it
Don't I know
Happiness sometimes it just creeps in
Don't I know
I'm going crazy
I've been wondering
Do you still feel alone?
I need to find
Some kind of peace of mind
I need to find
I got a cottage with a sea view
I got a regular summer tan
I know that I deserve more
But I still want you
Welcome to my Californian home
You don't have to call me you can leave when you want
There's a picture by my bed
There's a light in your eyes
I don't know
Tell me 'cause I want to find out
Do you still feel?
Welcome to my California
(I need to find)
Even though I'm no good for you
(Some kind of peace of mind)
There's a part of me still waiting for you
(I need to find)
Welcome to my happy ending
(I need to find)
Even though it's fun pretending
(Some kind of peace of mind)
I know
I know you can't look back, you can never go back
Welcome to my Californian home
You can never go back
Welcome to my Californian home
I know
You can never go back
Welcome to my Californian home
I know
You can never go back
I know I need to find, do you still feel?
Welcome to my California
(I need to find)
Even though I'm no good for you
(Some kind of peace of mind)
Deep inside there's a piece of me, there's a piece of me
Still waiting for you to come home
Welcome to my Californian home
(I need to find)
I know you can never look back, you can never look back again
(Some kind of peace of mind)
But tell me 'cause I want to find out
Do you still feel alone?
Oh no
Do you still feel alone?
Oh no
Lyrics submitted by finallyfree
California Lyrics as written by Mallary Hope Morgane Hayes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"
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.
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/
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Aww, the best to you as well Gabigs. I hope you don't mind, I added you to my MSN contact list.