"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.
Walk right in, sit on down
And make yourself at home
Come on baby, you're just like me
And you hate to be alone
It's funny how things go around
It's crazy but it's true
This place is empty, oh so empty
It's empty without you
Come on, bait your breath
And make me feel at home
You and me we're just like all the rest
And we don't want to be alone
It's funny how things go around
But go around they do
This place is empty, empty
So empty without you
It's empty without you
Come on, simmer down
And treat me sweet and cool
At least by now you have learned
How to love a fool
It's funny how things turn around
It's crazy but it's true
This place is empty, so empty
So empty without you
And make yourself at home
Come on baby, you're just like me
And you hate to be alone
It's funny how things go around
It's crazy but it's true
This place is empty, oh so empty
It's empty without you
Come on, bait your breath
And make me feel at home
You and me we're just like all the rest
And we don't want to be alone
It's funny how things go around
But go around they do
This place is empty, empty
So empty without you
It's empty without you
Come on, simmer down
And treat me sweet and cool
At least by now you have learned
How to love a fool
It's funny how things turn around
It's crazy but it's true
This place is empty, so empty
So empty without you
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
This song appears to be about loneliness (that's not what I've come to discuss though). Anyone else think this song sounds suspiciously like "Angie"?