"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.
Cover my dreams with veil of sun
This sight obscured where it all began
Ascending from blear, burying all sincere
Hiding light unmasks my deepest fear
Waves abandoned the shore
Dead calm
Like a preceding crackle of the choking fire
Slowly I taste the blindness we fed
Inch by inch I draw inside to recoil
To split my first drop of turmoil
With splitting hand I turn the page
Into the next blistering rage
Taking of tomorrow
Breaking from shadows
It's forming and lightning the wall
Repel and hollowed
To fight back against it all
I'm the nameless as I'm pushed around
Like the countless faces unknown
Next in the line to blow
Pleasure we negate, locked inside our hate
In surrounding hate!
There's no one else for us to open the gates
Until we loosen up
The wires to find the lost faith
Stuck inside the roulette
Awaiting the revolving lead
Drilling in your head!
This sight obscured where it all began
Ascending from blear, burying all sincere
Hiding light unmasks my deepest fear
Waves abandoned the shore
Dead calm
Like a preceding crackle of the choking fire
Slowly I taste the blindness we fed
Inch by inch I draw inside to recoil
To split my first drop of turmoil
With splitting hand I turn the page
Into the next blistering rage
Taking of tomorrow
Breaking from shadows
It's forming and lightning the wall
Repel and hollowed
To fight back against it all
I'm the nameless as I'm pushed around
Like the countless faces unknown
Next in the line to blow
Pleasure we negate, locked inside our hate
In surrounding hate!
There's no one else for us to open the gates
Until we loosen up
The wires to find the lost faith
Stuck inside the roulette
Awaiting the revolving lead
Drilling in your head!
Lyrics submitted by knightg
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Bee Gees
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Punchline
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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.
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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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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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 have no idea what message this song brings but i love the way he says "Ascending from blear, burying all sincere"