"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 won't settle for this
with open arms and unclenched fists
cause someday they'll pass my stone
to throw a flower, drop a kiss
and i won't walk all over you
and heaven knows you asked me too
but even if you're by my side
heaven just won't do
and i want this world at my fingertips
its people at my feet
to give me all the things that i desire
but i could never need
and its for this desperation
i pull the stars right out of space
load them in my pistol
make the world a better place
and the fences can not keep me out
of a world they hadn't told me about
someday i'll split that skyline
oh this machine is built to climb
and i will not say i lied to you
even when its close to true
cause baby when you're close to me
i can never feel you
and i want this world at my fingertips
it's people at my feet
to give me all the things that i desire
but i could never need
and it's for this desperation
i pull the stars from outterspace
load them in my pistol
make the world better
tearing down is building
oh baby can't you see
that losing you is finding all that i could never be
and if hurting you were murder
there's no other thought i'd bleed
then to curse the bloody fingertips
that did this all to me
and i want this world at my fingertips
its people at my feet
to give me all the things that i desire
and nothing that i need
and laws of time and vision
put the stars back in the space
throw away the pistol
make the world a better place
with open arms and unclenched fists
cause someday they'll pass my stone
to throw a flower, drop a kiss
and i won't walk all over you
and heaven knows you asked me too
but even if you're by my side
heaven just won't do
and i want this world at my fingertips
its people at my feet
to give me all the things that i desire
but i could never need
and its for this desperation
i pull the stars right out of space
load them in my pistol
make the world a better place
and the fences can not keep me out
of a world they hadn't told me about
someday i'll split that skyline
oh this machine is built to climb
and i will not say i lied to you
even when its close to true
cause baby when you're close to me
i can never feel you
and i want this world at my fingertips
it's people at my feet
to give me all the things that i desire
but i could never need
and it's for this desperation
i pull the stars from outterspace
load them in my pistol
make the world better
tearing down is building
oh baby can't you see
that losing you is finding all that i could never be
and if hurting you were murder
there's no other thought i'd bleed
then to curse the bloody fingertips
that did this all to me
and i want this world at my fingertips
its people at my feet
to give me all the things that i desire
and nothing that i need
and laws of time and vision
put the stars back in the space
throw away the pistol
make the world a better place
Lyrics submitted by paperplains
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
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Calender girl- The lines
"I'll pull the stars right out of space load them in my pistol make the world a better place" could refer to suicide. He could be saying that he has no place in this world, and that it would be better without out him. That interpretation would make sense, but I think that he is saying "someday i'll split that skyline." That he needs to break free from the rules set by society and make some drastic changes on the world.
But make sense, but I think the second fits into the theme of the song better.