"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.
Late summer sky, two colors deep, three wide and a third all by
And set to try to take away the shadows from your eyes
You shift and sigh, do we live fully grown when we learn to cry?
This is why I never hold a grudge against you, love
But hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
Hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
One body bends, one body twists and breaks and the lifetime is
We rush to amend the situation but it happens all the time
I could pretend to think fondly of half the summer that I spent
In the wilderness, playing soccer and kissing girls
But hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
Hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
And we learn to be ashamed of each other
And we learn to be ashamed of ourselves
One busy street, one flock of birds that scatters beneath my feet
All these simple things they stick to me like truth, like ice, like fire
And set to try to take away the shadows from your eyes
You shift and sigh, do we live fully grown when we learn to cry?
This is why I never hold a grudge against you, love
But hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
Hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
One body bends, one body twists and breaks and the lifetime is
We rush to amend the situation but it happens all the time
I could pretend to think fondly of half the summer that I spent
In the wilderness, playing soccer and kissing girls
But hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
Hey, this is the future
And we don't grow up like that
Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails
And we scratch to the bottle when we need
And we learn to be ashamed of each other
And we learn to be ashamed of ourselves
One busy street, one flock of birds that scatters beneath my feet
All these simple things they stick to me like truth, like ice, like fire
Lyrics submitted by erbylikewhoa
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
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”
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
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.
"Hey, this is the future And we don't grow up like that Oh we grow teeth and we grow nails And we scratch to the bottle when we need"
For this part, I always thought the last line went "and we scratch to the bottom of meaning"
It sounds pretty close, and makes more sense to me. But it's probably just another case of misheard lyrics!