"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.
The queen she divides her land into three
She is as cruel as she wants to be
Many an hour she sits there all alone
All alone, but always thinking
Which of my children loves me the best?
I'll give them everything, leave none to the rest
I'll give them all my land and my jewels too
But my love, none shall have it
Mother, dear mother, you've done me great wrong
You married me when I was far too young
The man was rich, but he left me with a child
I need your gold to feed him
Daughter, dear daughter, I've done you no wrong
I married you to a great lord's son
Find a new man for when I'm dead and gone
As for gold, I'll give you nothing
Mother, dear mother, if you see fit
Grant me your kingdom and I'll watch over it
I will rule your land as you would yourself
For I am most like you
Daughter, dear daughter, no, I don't see fit
To give you my land, you'll have none of it
Your words offend me for how could you presume
That you could rule as I do?
Which of my children loves me the best?
I'll give them everything, leave none to the rest
I'll give them all my land and my jewels too
But my love, none shall have it
Mother, dear mother, I do not want your land
I don't want your riches, nor jewels on my hand
My request is simple, it's every child's desire
I only want your blessing
Daughter, dear daughter, you're nothing but a fool
This world is governed by one and only rule
I will die with all my land and my jewels too
And my love, none shall have it
She is as cruel as she wants to be
Many an hour she sits there all alone
All alone, but always thinking
Which of my children loves me the best?
I'll give them everything, leave none to the rest
I'll give them all my land and my jewels too
But my love, none shall have it
Mother, dear mother, you've done me great wrong
You married me when I was far too young
The man was rich, but he left me with a child
I need your gold to feed him
Daughter, dear daughter, I've done you no wrong
I married you to a great lord's son
Find a new man for when I'm dead and gone
As for gold, I'll give you nothing
Mother, dear mother, if you see fit
Grant me your kingdom and I'll watch over it
I will rule your land as you would yourself
For I am most like you
Daughter, dear daughter, no, I don't see fit
To give you my land, you'll have none of it
Your words offend me for how could you presume
That you could rule as I do?
Which of my children loves me the best?
I'll give them everything, leave none to the rest
I'll give them all my land and my jewels too
But my love, none shall have it
Mother, dear mother, I do not want your land
I don't want your riches, nor jewels on my hand
My request is simple, it's every child's desire
I only want your blessing
Daughter, dear daughter, you're nothing but a fool
This world is governed by one and only rule
I will die with all my land and my jewels too
And my love, none shall have it
Lyrics submitted by jayphelps321
Cruel Queen Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
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.