"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.
Separated and negated, it seems fated
We have to find out more
Do you want me? Tell me properly
Or just stop me, it’s you that I adore
I can’t wait for another second minute or hour
I can’t wait, it’s all your choice, it’s in your power
I can’t wait for another second minute or hour
I can’t wait, it’s all your choice, it’s in your power
I lost my head when I found my heart
But now with neither I’ve fallen all apart
With this voice and chord I’ll tell you from the start
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
I act stupid due to Cupid
My love's rooted, you'll have to dig down deep
Mixed emotion, fixed devotion
Your magic potion you sprinkle as I sleep
I can’t wait for another second, minute or hour
I can’t wait, it's all your choice, it's in your power
I can’t wait for another second, minute or hour
I can’t wait, it’s all your choice, it’s in your power
I lost my head when I found my heart
But now with neither I’ve fallen all apart
With this voice and chord I’ll tell you from the start
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
She never wanted me
With you I can't imagine being alone
Without you I can't see how much I’ve grown
'Coz you made me what I am today
Have you gave me all that I can take
I lost my head when I found my heart
But now with neither I’m falling all apart
With this voice and chord I’ll tell you from the start
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
We have to find out more
Do you want me? Tell me properly
Or just stop me, it’s you that I adore
I can’t wait for another second minute or hour
I can’t wait, it’s all your choice, it’s in your power
I can’t wait for another second minute or hour
I can’t wait, it’s all your choice, it’s in your power
I lost my head when I found my heart
But now with neither I’ve fallen all apart
With this voice and chord I’ll tell you from the start
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
I act stupid due to Cupid
My love's rooted, you'll have to dig down deep
Mixed emotion, fixed devotion
Your magic potion you sprinkle as I sleep
I can’t wait for another second, minute or hour
I can’t wait, it's all your choice, it's in your power
I can’t wait for another second, minute or hour
I can’t wait, it’s all your choice, it’s in your power
I lost my head when I found my heart
But now with neither I’ve fallen all apart
With this voice and chord I’ll tell you from the start
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
She never wanted me
With you I can't imagine being alone
Without you I can't see how much I’ve grown
'Coz you made me what I am today
Have you gave me all that I can take
I lost my head when I found my heart
But now with neither I’m falling all apart
With this voice and chord I’ll tell you from the start
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
She never wanted me, she never wanted me
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[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.
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
The line 'I lost my head when I found my heart' is very similar to the line 'Use my hands to use my heart' in Sufjan Stevens' Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid) which alone isn't particularly remarkable but it has the same chord progression (or very close) just at a higher tempo. He doesn't list Sufjan Stevens as one of his influences on Myspace which makes me think that he ripped it straight from Stevens in the hope no one would notice. Does anyone else hear this?
As for the actual song? It's okay, basically Torn on the Platform 2 (except not as good). Still, I'll take it over Hard-Fi any day of the week. Lyrics are a fairly standard affair about love/girlfriend/idle masturbation, not enough to make this bloke last more than a few years in the pop industry. :(
And I agree with the opinion that he is NOTHING like Kate Nash. If you like Jack Penate can I recommend The Rumble Strips though, they have similarities. :)