"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.
You lean forward to go
You pull back to go slow
These are the horse basics
You should know
There's no use to wait
A girl and her horse will never separate
You were done before
The gun at the starting gate
And away she rides
To the great unknown
You can wave goodbye
And spend some time on your own
And wonder why
Sometimes you find you fall far behind
On the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
With no words to say
A girl and her horse can communicate
Cause motion is motion
And nothing's up for to debate
And away she rides
To the great beyond
You can wave goodbye
To a girl and her horse with a bond
You can't deny
Sometimes you find
You fall far behind on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
Sometimes you find
You can't cross the line on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
You lean forward to go
You pull back to go slow
The rest is anyone's guess
Don't you know
And away she rides
With the best in show
You can wave goodbye
A girl and her horse
Have a bond you'll never know
And away she rides
WIth the best in show you know
Unicorns don't exist of course
But every girl in this world has a horse
Sometimes you find
You fall far behind on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
Sometimes you find you can't cross
The line on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
You pull back to go slow
These are the horse basics
You should know
There's no use to wait
A girl and her horse will never separate
You were done before
The gun at the starting gate
And away she rides
To the great unknown
You can wave goodbye
And spend some time on your own
And wonder why
Sometimes you find you fall far behind
On the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
With no words to say
A girl and her horse can communicate
Cause motion is motion
And nothing's up for to debate
And away she rides
To the great beyond
You can wave goodbye
To a girl and her horse with a bond
You can't deny
Sometimes you find
You fall far behind on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
Sometimes you find
You can't cross the line on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
You lean forward to go
You pull back to go slow
The rest is anyone's guess
Don't you know
And away she rides
With the best in show
You can wave goodbye
A girl and her horse
Have a bond you'll never know
And away she rides
WIth the best in show you know
Unicorns don't exist of course
But every girl in this world has a horse
Sometimes you find
You fall far behind on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
Sometimes you find you can't cross
The line on the course
Some things are best left
Between a girl and her horse
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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/
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.
To me, this song seems to be about how every girl has something about them that a boy will never be able to understand- "With no words to say/ A girl and her horse can communicate", "the rest is anyone's guess/ Don't ya know", "every girl in this world has a horse"- or that will always mean more to them than the boy- "A girl and her horse will never separate", "a girl and her horse with a bond you can't deny".
I see it as a lament of sorts, that no matter how much they try, boys will never be able to reach every part of a girl's life-- they will always have that "great unknown" to escape into.
Every horse girl can immediately relate to this song. It is very literal and means EXACTLY what it says. There is no other bond like that between a girl and her horse. Yes forward and back are the two basics that are obvious to anyone watching but it is the subtle "motion" in the hands, seat, and legs that command everything else. And if you are a boy dating a girl with a horse : You WILL be second to the horse-thats just the way it is. So expect to NEVER understand it, and to spend alone time. Just like the song says! But don't be jealous, because 'yes' you were done before the race started. You wll never have a chance to even try and beat the horse. If you were even able to catch a horse girl consider yourself lucky and hold on tight. You have someone special!!
I think this song is about women who cheat:
With no words to say A girl and her horse can communicate Cause motion's motion and nothing's up for debate
Sounds a lot like sex to me. Especially in the context of the rest of the song. It seems like realizing that if she has guy friends that she frequently hangs around, you've already lost 'the race'. She'll continue to ride her horse and you'll get left at the starting gate.
Why do people have to find sex in every song these days? I would say that it could be about how men have a hard time understanding women, but I'm not finding any hint of cheating or sex in this song. I think that might be a bit of a stretch. Especially when you keep in mind Barry's writing style.