"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 slid right into your hands
And you grabbed me and told me how you'd understand
Whatever I wanted to be
And I believed for a while you believing in me
I'm turning circles again
Caught in a spin
I'm a high fly trapeze
To you little worm
Earthbound and dirty and still on your knees
Release me
You know I want to come down
The air is too thin off the ground
And my head's not clear
Way up here
You brought me what money can buy
But I don't want the world I just want your time
Now you want me to drink from your cup
But baby it's too late to kiss and make up
I'm turning circles again
Caught in a spin
I'm a high fly trapeze
To you little worm
Earthbound and dirty and still on your knees
Release me
You know I want to come down
The air is too thin off the ground
And my head's not clear
Way up here
Release me
You and I are going nowhere
You stopped pretending to care
Quite sometime ago
And you've let it show
Maybe you think I'm unfair
But if you were in my shoes and your soul was bare
Would the honey still drip from your tongue
Would you still lie with ease if your jury was hung
And you grabbed me and told me how you'd understand
Whatever I wanted to be
And I believed for a while you believing in me
I'm turning circles again
Caught in a spin
I'm a high fly trapeze
To you little worm
Earthbound and dirty and still on your knees
Release me
You know I want to come down
The air is too thin off the ground
And my head's not clear
Way up here
You brought me what money can buy
But I don't want the world I just want your time
Now you want me to drink from your cup
But baby it's too late to kiss and make up
I'm turning circles again
Caught in a spin
I'm a high fly trapeze
To you little worm
Earthbound and dirty and still on your knees
Release me
You know I want to come down
The air is too thin off the ground
And my head's not clear
Way up here
Release me
You and I are going nowhere
You stopped pretending to care
Quite sometime ago
And you've let it show
Maybe you think I'm unfair
But if you were in my shoes and your soul was bare
Would the honey still drip from your tongue
Would you still lie with ease if your jury was hung
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
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.
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.
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.
Why has nobody commented on this yet? It's great!