"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.
she needs to sleep like the ocean
she needs to dream
that boy down in Streatham don't know where he's about
but i'm sure he knows one-armed sports
i need to be in this body
i need to breathe
i need know
need but one
and it's gonna be here like it never was
like it never was
he's got pearls on his fingers
little doe eyes
making ringers ring off the phone
tell her you know
what she's been thinking
cause i need only one
only one sugar plum, i said
you are gonna see
i'm ready to be
just with the one
with the blue, blue notions emotions
she needs to dream
that boy down in Streatham don't know where he's about
but i'm sure he knows one-armed sports
i need to be in this body
i need to breathe
i need know
need but one
and it's gonna be here like it never was
like it never was
he's got pearls on his fingers
little doe eyes
making ringers ring off the phone
tell her you know
what she's been thinking
cause i need only one
only one sugar plum, i said
you are gonna see
i'm ready to be
just with the one
with the blue, blue notions emotions
Lyrics submitted by balmydays
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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/
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
i cannot believe that nobody has commented on this yet! i used to listen to this over and over when i lived on a caribbean island...i'd walk the beach and play it thinking about a guy that i was in love with who wasn't my boyfriend...my secret lover..."and it's gonna be here like it never was" was my mantra...
she needs to sleep like the ocean she needs to dream (this was me...needing him...meeting him each midnight at the waves...spending days dreaming of being near him)
tell her you know what she's been thinking cause i need only one only one sugar plum, i said you are gonna see i'm ready to be just with the one (i was so ready)
i can't tell you what it means to tori...i do wonder if she wrote it before she and mark were official, maybe when she and eric were still in the middle of something...it seems like the words of a person looking ahead to something
i DO know what it means to me: takes me back to a BIG decision reminds me of my freedom, my spirit, my fire
it gives me chills to read these words...
he said he'd find me someday. he hasn't shown yet. but i'll always have this song