"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.
And this is not pretend
Or you have no reason to feel secure
'Cause this world, it waits for no one
So don't you fool yourself
Get out of this imaginary place you call
Reality, it's so deceiving
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
So tell me once again
How easy it would be if we'd listened
But to you, you're just paying attention
So what's the point in you
Showing us your way if we don't even care
To be 'round you, or even know you?
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
You're patronizing
And overbearing
And you're so unbending
You don't understand me
You don't understand me
Or you have no reason to feel secure
'Cause this world, it waits for no one
So don't you fool yourself
Get out of this imaginary place you call
Reality, it's so deceiving
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
So tell me once again
How easy it would be if we'd listened
But to you, you're just paying attention
So what's the point in you
Showing us your way if we don't even care
To be 'round you, or even know you?
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
I can't, I can't do what you say
I can't, I can't do it your way
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
(Condescending)
If you don't get it your way
You're so condescending (unforgiving)
If we don't do what you say
You're so unforgiving
You're patronizing
And overbearing
And you're so unbending
You don't understand me
You don't understand me
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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"
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,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
This song really bothered me, it took from the first time I heard it until just a few days ago to figure out what I thought it meant. I'm pretty sure now that this is a song about/to "Christians" that come across as condescending to the people that they are preaching to. Unfortunatly, this happens a lot, (and probably always has). It's the same pharisiacial mindset that Jesus hammerd during his public ministry. It's the "I'm sorry - I can't hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking so loudly".
Anyway - I think this is what it's about - curious that I'm the first person to post on this song since it's been out for over a year or so....
@hisunderdog this whole entire album bugged me just because when it came out in 2008 I was a new Christian. so I had not lived yet spiritually. now that I've heard this album coming up on my 10th year of being saved I understand what this whole entire album was about. some of it was family experiences, experiences Sonny had as a teenager before he got saved, and his newfound life in Christ which has its ups and downs due to our sinful nature or other people sadly. In a recent interview he said he had a problem with the Westernized version of Christianity where you have to look good, Be clean-shaven and no tattoos, which isn't biblical. But I think you hit it on the head it's his struggle with other Christians Who made him feel inferior.
@hisunderdog what's really sad though is 8 years earlier in their album satellite they had a song called "anything right" which had the same message. Meaning even 8 years later sonny still felt that way because his fellow christians.