"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.
'Cause Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
Let's write a song that we can dance to
'Cause they all wanna listen
Just to know how it sounds when
I do that thing you know that I do
When I find inspiration
This is me breaking down when
Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
Let's write a song that we can sing to
And you can lead the choir
And put the hook where it hurts most
And you threw a spark that lit the candle
That set us all on fire
And sent a flame down the east coast
Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
And I should have been your everything
I'm now at the end of my eternity
And I will sleep to have the darkest dreams
This just won't seem right to me
I close my eyes and beg for peace
Jersey just got colder and
Jersey just got colder and
Jersey just got colder and
Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
Let's write a song that we can dance to
'Cause they all wanna listen
Just to know how it sounds when
I do that thing you know that I do
When I find inspiration
This is me breaking down when
Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
Let's write a song that we can sing to
And you can lead the choir
And put the hook where it hurts most
And you threw a spark that lit the candle
That set us all on fire
And sent a flame down the east coast
Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
And I should have been your everything
I'm now at the end of my eternity
And I will sleep to have the darkest dreams
This just won't seem right to me
I close my eyes and beg for peace
Jersey just got colder and
Jersey just got colder and
Jersey just got colder and
Jersey just got colder and
I'll have you know I'm scared to death
That everything that you had said to me was just
A lie until you left
Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger
Hold me up just a little bit longer
I'll be fine, I swear
I'm just gone beyond repair
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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."
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/
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.
i love the part that goes "And you threw a spark that lit the candle that set us all on fire and sent a FLAAMMEEEE down the EEEAAASSTT coast"
i'm going to really miss Jason's voice! but i guess i can listen to Go Radio for that now. haha. anyway, this song is so good, one of my favorites on the CD