"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.
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Bang bang baby shot
Me in the heart, in the dark,
With the dart of the spark
When it hit.
When we met at the spot
It was hot, like this song
Saw the thong, it was on.
Now it's 8 in the mornin'
I move on like the Greyhound bus
I go town to town
And I prey on sluts.
I got to go,
So scream out your area code.
I'm comin' all the way
Live from the 310!
I gotta whole lot of love
But none like you.
You make me wanna stay
Here in heaven with you.
I'll write your name in the sand,
Put your hand with mine.
Come on baby,
Shoot your gun in the sky!
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Bang bang baby hit me one time,
Two days on the road
And you're still on my mind.
You'd think that I would learn
'cause I'm young and fine
But I'm broke, so I'm tryin' to make
A hustle out of rhyme.
I gotta see the world one girl at a time,
But you're hangin' on my sleeve
Like I care that you're cryin'
And I do
I'm just tryin' to play it cool
I got a rep to protect,
Down at the high school.
Why you tryin' to cage me in
And when I leave we both know
That you'll be pagin' him
And when I come back
We gonn' do it again.
I promise we gonn' do it again.
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Bang bang, I wanna give you my name
But I'm tryin' to put some
Diamonds in my Shwayze chain.
Babies change,
They start showin' them fangs
Tryin' to take a ride on
Those crazy trains.
Choo choo.
What the hell am I to do?
I got a girl in every city
From here to Peru.
When I left you,
I signed my name on your left boob
Now go get that tattoed,
I'll be back soon.
Don't cry, I'll bust you
With a text soon.
I gotta go, but I'll
Be back next June.
Or July. Sparks in the sky.
She said, 'Boy you crazy.'
Nah, I'm Shwayze.
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
And I don't know what she was on.
Whatever it was, I want some.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Bang bang baby shot
Me in the heart, in the dark,
With the dart of the spark
When it hit.
When we met at the spot
It was hot, like this song
Saw the thong, it was on.
Now it's 8 in the mornin'
I move on like the Greyhound bus
I go town to town
And I prey on sluts.
I got to go,
So scream out your area code.
I'm comin' all the way
Live from the 310!
I gotta whole lot of love
But none like you.
You make me wanna stay
Here in heaven with you.
I'll write your name in the sand,
Put your hand with mine.
Come on baby,
Shoot your gun in the sky!
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Bang bang baby hit me one time,
Two days on the road
And you're still on my mind.
You'd think that I would learn
'cause I'm young and fine
But I'm broke, so I'm tryin' to make
A hustle out of rhyme.
I gotta see the world one girl at a time,
But you're hangin' on my sleeve
Like I care that you're cryin'
And I do
I'm just tryin' to play it cool
I got a rep to protect,
Down at the high school.
Why you tryin' to cage me in
And when I leave we both know
That you'll be pagin' him
And when I come back
We gonn' do it again.
I promise we gonn' do it again.
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
Bang bang, I wanna give you my name
But I'm tryin' to put some
Diamonds in my Shwayze chain.
Babies change,
They start showin' them fangs
Tryin' to take a ride on
Those crazy trains.
Choo choo.
What the hell am I to do?
I got a girl in every city
From here to Peru.
When I left you,
I signed my name on your left boob
Now go get that tattoed,
I'll be back soon.
Don't cry, I'll bust you
With a text soon.
I gotta go, but I'll
Be back next June.
Or July. Sparks in the sky.
She said, 'Boy you crazy.'
Nah, I'm Shwayze.
I met her at a backyard
Blockparty by the bar.
And she kept lookin' at me
Like she knew who I was.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
And I don't know what she was on.
Whatever it was, I want some.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me.
She was buzzin' all over me
Like she fell in love.
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Don't cry, I'll bless you with a text soon.
what a line