"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.
Runnin' away runnin' away
Hey hey hey runnin' away
I had the perfect girl we'd spend together hours everyday
You'd say that I had it made and I was all for the commitment
But then she started wantin' more from me
And my mind began to change suddenly I didn't feel the same
I didn't know what I was doing
I was dodging commitment start but don't finish
My aim was always the same girl I know I been trippin'
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just hear me out
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just see me off
I wanna show my heart but I don't know where to start
So I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
Hey hey hey
I caught a second wind of happiness when I met this girl
And then we became the best of friends we went
From half full to half empty I took a detour tryin' to find myself
But I'm on this road again want out of this box I'm in
I made it harder to be with me
I was dodging commitment start but don't finish
My aim was always the same girl I know I been trippin'
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just hear me out
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just see me off
I wanna show my heart but I don't know where to start
So I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
Hey hey hey
I'm 'bout to break down baby I'm done
No I can't keep up runnin' this marathon
No need to rest when I already won
And if I got you by my side girl I already won
It's like lookin' for a treasure when it's already mine
It don't make sense don't make sense
No matter how hard I try to define
I'm comin' face to face with myself
I know I don't need don't need no one else
So can somebody tell me where I'm goin'
So can somebody tell me where I'm goin'
I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
Hey hey hey
Runnin' away runnin' away hey hey hey
Runnin' away runnin' away hey hey hey
Hey hey hey runnin' away
I had the perfect girl we'd spend together hours everyday
You'd say that I had it made and I was all for the commitment
But then she started wantin' more from me
And my mind began to change suddenly I didn't feel the same
I didn't know what I was doing
I was dodging commitment start but don't finish
My aim was always the same girl I know I been trippin'
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just hear me out
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just see me off
I wanna show my heart but I don't know where to start
So I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
Hey hey hey
I caught a second wind of happiness when I met this girl
And then we became the best of friends we went
From half full to half empty I took a detour tryin' to find myself
But I'm on this road again want out of this box I'm in
I made it harder to be with me
I was dodging commitment start but don't finish
My aim was always the same girl I know I been trippin'
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just hear me out
I'm confessin' I'm confessin' so baby just see me off
I wanna show my heart but I don't know where to start
So I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
Hey hey hey
I'm 'bout to break down baby I'm done
No I can't keep up runnin' this marathon
No need to rest when I already won
And if I got you by my side girl I already won
It's like lookin' for a treasure when it's already mine
It don't make sense don't make sense
No matter how hard I try to define
I'm comin' face to face with myself
I know I don't need don't need no one else
So can somebody tell me where I'm goin'
So can somebody tell me where I'm goin'
I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
I keep runnin'
With real love in my face
Why am I breakin' away
I keep runnin'
So scared of the heartbreak
So scared of makin' mistakes
I keep runnin'
When all I really need is you
All I really need is you
But I keep on runnin' away
Hey hey hey
Runnin' away runnin' away hey hey hey
Runnin' away runnin' away hey hey hey
Lyrics submitted by __midnightdreary
Runnin' Lyrics as written by Mark J. Feist Helen Jayne Culver
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Anthem Entertainment
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
i agree with you sunset19. it seems like he's saying that he's afraid that this relationship is too good to be true so he's running away from it to protect himself from getting hurt. and its an awesome song