"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.
He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
(Vrrr)
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all
Power to the people
We don't want it
We want pleasure
And the TVs try to rape us
And I guess that they're succeeding
And we're going to these meetings
But we're not doing any meeting
And we're trying to be faithful, but we're
Cheating, cheating, cheating
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
(Vrrr)
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all
Power to the people
We don't want it
We want pleasure
And the TVs try to rape us
And I guess that they're succeeding
And we're going to these meetings
But we're not doing any meeting
And we're trying to be faithful, but we're
Cheating, cheating, cheating
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all
All
All
All
All
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all
Coming at all
He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
He never, ever saw it
Coming at all
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
(Vrrr)
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all
Power to the people
We don't want it
We want pleasure
And the TVs try to rape us
And I guess that they're succeeding
And we're going to these meetings
But we're not doing any meeting
And we're trying to be faithful, but we're
Cheating, cheating, cheating
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
(Vrrr)
Hey, open wide, here comes
Original sin
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all
Power to the people
We don't want it
We want pleasure
And the TVs try to rape us
And I guess that they're succeeding
And we're going to these meetings
But we're not doing any meeting
And we're trying to be faithful, but we're
Cheating, cheating, cheating
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
I'm the hero of the story
Don't need to be saved
It's alright, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right, it's al-
Right
No one's got it all
No one's got it all
No one's got it a-a-all
All
All
All
All
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all, all
All, all, all, all
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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
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/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
I don't think that's what this song is meant to convey at all. I also don't think that this is supposed to really be a happy sort of song.
From my interpretation, this song is more talking about the fallibility of the world's heroes, and how even though they are heroes to us and may say that they don't need saving, they are just as effected by the evils and temptations of this world as we are.
Also, contrary to what you have already stated, I think she is, in fact, trying to tackle something large, or least of all painting a rather grim picture of our world. “And the TVs try to rape us and I guess that they’re succeeding” and “We’re trying to be faithful but we’re cheating, cheating, cheating” do not sound to me like happy-go-lucky opinions of the world.
The line that I’m not entirely sure what to make of is “No one’s got it all.” I think that with this she’s trying to say that this is how we try to justify our wrongdoings, our sins, and our inadequacies to ourselves.
I believe you have to read a little more into the line for it to make sense. No one's got it all [figured out].