"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.
[Cam'ron]
Shut the fuck up punk!
Give me that shit!
You feel sorry for who!!
Gave you head before I stormed in
Muthafucka, any problem yo I want in
I'm here to win
Every mornin
I'm yawnin
While ya'll are boardin
The store and showin that you're fake bringin some corn in
Meat, rice, and poultry
We all know how you get your money
Don't insult me
Shutup
For me not steppin
You can fault me
Yeah, I chill
But we are about to split this muthafucka
Like SugarHill
See your man
He thinks he's wise
Tell him chill
He ain't the only one with chinky eyes
Yo, I'm related to him
And I'll put eight through him
When I skate though him
And my co-d
I don't think you know is take to him
And before it's over
I'll have this whole fuckin store with that smoke aroma
And yo, your wife keeps twitchin
Than we both can bone her
Real quick, real sick
Pull out dick
Then nigga go on and riff
I'll have this whole fuckin clip
On some raw dog shit
Close that gate
It's time to negotiate
Now your store really could fulfill my needs
Got now and later seeds
Niggas need dungarees
We in the middle of Harlem
What we need for them ski's
That's the coverup nigga
For the weed, guns, and keys
But ya'll is gettin live though
I ain't gonna cry yo
I just want to get paid off, nigga
Like five-0
[Chorus]-2x's
In America the product is coke and weed
In China, the product is dope and speed
The Columbians got the coca leaves
But in Harlem, niggas like to Plot and Scheme
[Cam'ron]
Now your store grose
A mil' a week
And my niggas on the block
Yo, we feel is sweet
But we been livin here forever
Can you feel our beat
So give us half
Or I guarantee baby
You gonna feel the heat
And I'm a little bit high
Save a little and you die
Send a blizzard through your store
In the middle of July
So if you want to chat
We can
If you want to scrap
We can
But I feel like Jackie Chan
Exactly man
Kong Fu
Murder thoughts like John Woo
I'm here for Bi
Not to con you
Now it's a done deal yo
There ain't no bluffin kid
And tell your wife don't move
I know where that button is
Yo, I would hate to have to bust her
That's petty black
Matter of fact get out the way
I know where that maschetti at
Give me that
Blamm!!!
That's when the chink goes flip
Then grabs me like Spock
On some Bruce Lee shit
And his wife had a grenade
That's when my niggas sprayed
And in a puddle of blood
Is where that bitch laid
But this ain't have to happen yo
Man you see the weed for real
Nigga let me go!
Back up off me!
Damn that was a close one
Next time, your ass gonna play Bruce son
That's Word to mutha!
You don't know how deep we are
Give them them tapes
Ya'll got VCR's
Yeah, three of 'em
But back to the topic
My deal to the floor
In a week
I can bring about 10 thou to the store
Yeah, I know I know I know
That's not near to what your crew had
But we doin this together
Nigga that's too bad
Now here's the deal either take it or leave it
Cause see these guns
We can take it or squeeze it
Now everything is set up
Right?
I got some girls that will be here sometime tonight
You know meya, the nigga wit China white
They got some shit that will fuck around and blind your sight
They kind of tight
Now if I here things behind the hype
I'll put a contract on your life
And you sign it right
The first day
So have my money Thursday
Cause I don't want to have to see your ass nigga on herse day
In the worst way
[Chorus]
Shut the fuck up punk!
Give me that shit!
You feel sorry for who!!
Gave you head before I stormed in
Muthafucka, any problem yo I want in
I'm here to win
Every mornin
I'm yawnin
While ya'll are boardin
The store and showin that you're fake bringin some corn in
Meat, rice, and poultry
We all know how you get your money
Don't insult me
Shutup
For me not steppin
You can fault me
Yeah, I chill
But we are about to split this muthafucka
Like SugarHill
See your man
He thinks he's wise
Tell him chill
He ain't the only one with chinky eyes
Yo, I'm related to him
And I'll put eight through him
When I skate though him
And my co-d
I don't think you know is take to him
And before it's over
I'll have this whole fuckin store with that smoke aroma
And yo, your wife keeps twitchin
Than we both can bone her
Real quick, real sick
Pull out dick
Then nigga go on and riff
I'll have this whole fuckin clip
On some raw dog shit
Close that gate
It's time to negotiate
Now your store really could fulfill my needs
Got now and later seeds
Niggas need dungarees
We in the middle of Harlem
What we need for them ski's
That's the coverup nigga
For the weed, guns, and keys
But ya'll is gettin live though
I ain't gonna cry yo
I just want to get paid off, nigga
Like five-0
[Chorus]-2x's
In America the product is coke and weed
In China, the product is dope and speed
The Columbians got the coca leaves
But in Harlem, niggas like to Plot and Scheme
[Cam'ron]
Now your store grose
A mil' a week
And my niggas on the block
Yo, we feel is sweet
But we been livin here forever
Can you feel our beat
So give us half
Or I guarantee baby
You gonna feel the heat
And I'm a little bit high
Save a little and you die
Send a blizzard through your store
In the middle of July
So if you want to chat
We can
If you want to scrap
We can
But I feel like Jackie Chan
Exactly man
Kong Fu
Murder thoughts like John Woo
I'm here for Bi
Not to con you
Now it's a done deal yo
There ain't no bluffin kid
And tell your wife don't move
I know where that button is
Yo, I would hate to have to bust her
That's petty black
Matter of fact get out the way
I know where that maschetti at
Give me that
Blamm!!!
That's when the chink goes flip
Then grabs me like Spock
On some Bruce Lee shit
And his wife had a grenade
That's when my niggas sprayed
And in a puddle of blood
Is where that bitch laid
But this ain't have to happen yo
Man you see the weed for real
Nigga let me go!
Back up off me!
Damn that was a close one
Next time, your ass gonna play Bruce son
That's Word to mutha!
You don't know how deep we are
Give them them tapes
Ya'll got VCR's
Yeah, three of 'em
But back to the topic
My deal to the floor
In a week
I can bring about 10 thou to the store
Yeah, I know I know I know
That's not near to what your crew had
But we doin this together
Nigga that's too bad
Now here's the deal either take it or leave it
Cause see these guns
We can take it or squeeze it
Now everything is set up
Right?
I got some girls that will be here sometime tonight
You know meya, the nigga wit China white
They got some shit that will fuck around and blind your sight
They kind of tight
Now if I here things behind the hype
I'll put a contract on your life
And you sign it right
The first day
So have my money Thursday
Cause I don't want to have to see your ass nigga on herse day
In the worst way
[Chorus]
Lyrics submitted by ButNeverOutgunned
Shanghai Lyrics as written by Cameron Dean Cameron Giles
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.