"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.
This song is dedicated to my mom, to my pop, to my family, to my daughter, to the people that I know and love today
I was the product of two people that never got along
I was named after a song they heard the night I was born
I was probly never planned, but you know how it go
Pops was strong and had it all under control
Mom was on and poor and couldn't wait to leave
But she was pregnant now and still a mother to be
And because of that fact she stayed and put up with his shit
And took everything that that motha fucka could dish
Believe it wasn't easy and from what I'm told
Then again I don't remember, I was two years old
I was too young to know or see the tears in her eye
So wondered why everynight she would cry and pray to die
That's some fucked up shit, but I was so carefree
Like every other child, just livin' a fantasy
Never thought for a second, considered it wasn't real
And if it wasn't, should I change the way that I feel
(Chorus 2x)
Just like a parent, want to shield you from all the pain
No matter how much, inside they're just sufferin'
True sacrifice like the wings of a dove
And it's real because it's all love comin' again
Moms is trippin' and Pops is chillin'
Brain stormin' tryna come up on a million
Or even a thousand, a few hundred, but be right on time,
'cause them bills be pilin' up and we fallin' further behind
And debt collectors bangin' to callin' the phone,
When they come to our house, we would pretend we wasn't home
Standin' in the WIC line, free honey and cheese,
With grotuity baskets from local charities,
It's not fresh at all when you goin' to school,
And can't afford to dress like the cool kids do,
So I'd use text books and last year's shoes
I was destined to never make it to the likes of high school,
Time passed and Pops got sick and felt ill
And everything went downhill
And when the mess set side, checks didn't cover the bills,
Not even close
Moms kept the boat afloat as we coast into next year
(Chorus 2x)
I see Pops even less than before,
but he's livin' in the same house behind the bedroom door
It's always closed again, and he's sleepin' no doubt
Open the cage and be a bathroom break and bring him out
Then I get to see him for a second, just to say 'hey'
How ya doin', good to see ya, oh wait, are you okay?(Okay)
For him, the reply "Yeah, Jamie, I'm fine"
And the same night, leave me world without sayin' goodbye
Can you imagine the rage of the pain that I felt
I was too shocked to cry when acceptin' the change delt
I went to school and all the kids in my class
Attended a special mass to acknowledge that he passed
Wanted to cry, but not in front of my peers
And not in front of a preist, so I wiped away tears
It swollowed the whole sorrow like a bit of belief
And prayed to God to let me talk to him everynight when I sleep
(When I sleep)
(Chorus 2x)
True sacrifice like the wings of a dove
And it's real because it's all love comin' again
Just like a parent, want to shield you from all the pain
No matter how much, inside they're just sufferin'
True sacrifice like the wings of a dove
And it's real because it's all love comin' again
I was the product of two people that never got along
I was named after a song they heard the night I was born
I was probly never planned, but you know how it go
Pops was strong and had it all under control
Mom was on and poor and couldn't wait to leave
But she was pregnant now and still a mother to be
And because of that fact she stayed and put up with his shit
And took everything that that motha fucka could dish
Believe it wasn't easy and from what I'm told
Then again I don't remember, I was two years old
I was too young to know or see the tears in her eye
So wondered why everynight she would cry and pray to die
That's some fucked up shit, but I was so carefree
Like every other child, just livin' a fantasy
Never thought for a second, considered it wasn't real
And if it wasn't, should I change the way that I feel
(Chorus 2x)
Just like a parent, want to shield you from all the pain
No matter how much, inside they're just sufferin'
True sacrifice like the wings of a dove
And it's real because it's all love comin' again
Moms is trippin' and Pops is chillin'
Brain stormin' tryna come up on a million
Or even a thousand, a few hundred, but be right on time,
'cause them bills be pilin' up and we fallin' further behind
And debt collectors bangin' to callin' the phone,
When they come to our house, we would pretend we wasn't home
Standin' in the WIC line, free honey and cheese,
With grotuity baskets from local charities,
It's not fresh at all when you goin' to school,
And can't afford to dress like the cool kids do,
So I'd use text books and last year's shoes
I was destined to never make it to the likes of high school,
Time passed and Pops got sick and felt ill
And everything went downhill
And when the mess set side, checks didn't cover the bills,
Not even close
Moms kept the boat afloat as we coast into next year
(Chorus 2x)
I see Pops even less than before,
but he's livin' in the same house behind the bedroom door
It's always closed again, and he's sleepin' no doubt
Open the cage and be a bathroom break and bring him out
Then I get to see him for a second, just to say 'hey'
How ya doin', good to see ya, oh wait, are you okay?(Okay)
For him, the reply "Yeah, Jamie, I'm fine"
And the same night, leave me world without sayin' goodbye
Can you imagine the rage of the pain that I felt
I was too shocked to cry when acceptin' the change delt
I went to school and all the kids in my class
Attended a special mass to acknowledge that he passed
Wanted to cry, but not in front of my peers
And not in front of a preist, so I wiped away tears
It swollowed the whole sorrow like a bit of belief
And prayed to God to let me talk to him everynight when I sleep
(When I sleep)
(Chorus 2x)
True sacrifice like the wings of a dove
And it's real because it's all love comin' again
Just like a parent, want to shield you from all the pain
No matter how much, inside they're just sufferin'
True sacrifice like the wings of a dove
And it's real because it's all love comin' again
Lyrics submitted by th1rt3en
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
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
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.
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.
first off youve got some lyrics fucked up in here, "Or even a thousand, a few hundred, but be right on time, 'cause them bills be pilin' up and we fallin' further behind And debt collectors bangin' to callin' the phone," should read "Or even a thousand, a few hundred, WOULD be right on time, 'cause them bills be pilin' up and we fallin' further behind And debt collectors bangin' AND callin' the phone," and "So I'd use text books and last year's shoes" should be "So WITH useD text books and last year's shoes" the largest and most important flaw are these lines. "Open the cage and be a bathroom break and bring him out Then I get to see him for a second, just to say 'hey' How ya doin', good to see ya, oh wait, are you okay?(Okay)" these are some of the most powerful lines in the whole song, they should be "A RARE OCCASION be a bathroom break WILL bring him out Then I get to see him for a second, just to say 'hey' How ya doin', good to see ya AWAKE, are you okay?(Okay)" the way you had the lyrics makes it seem as if his father was locked in a cage and he would only get out when they would open it and bring him to the bathroom, when in reality, the song is saying that he was so sick that he would rarely leave the bedroom, and on a rare occasion would leave it to use the bathroom.
Obviously, Madrox is describing his life from the day he was born to the present day.