"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.
All alone inside your pain
No one understand the way you're feeling
Trap beneath the clouds and rain
The rain at the left for you to believe in
So when it's hard to see
The forest through the trees
Sometimes, and I will pray
And yes I'll pray
That someday
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
I wish I can take it all away
And give you the freedom for just a day
To feel the love you've been longing for
So strong you couldn't feel sad anymore
So when it's hard to see
The forest through the trees
Sometimes, and I will pray
And yes I'll pray
That someday
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
So don't give up and don't give in
When there's a choice to synch with swift
Cause in the end
Our hope is stand
Knowing you become a better man
A better man
So when it's hard to see
The forest through the trees
Just know
That I will pray
And yes I'll pray
That someday
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
Oh
No one understand the way you're feeling
Trap beneath the clouds and rain
The rain at the left for you to believe in
So when it's hard to see
The forest through the trees
Sometimes, and I will pray
And yes I'll pray
That someday
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
I wish I can take it all away
And give you the freedom for just a day
To feel the love you've been longing for
So strong you couldn't feel sad anymore
So when it's hard to see
The forest through the trees
Sometimes, and I will pray
And yes I'll pray
That someday
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
So don't give up and don't give in
When there's a choice to synch with swift
Cause in the end
Our hope is stand
Knowing you become a better man
A better man
So when it's hard to see
The forest through the trees
Just know
That I will pray
And yes I'll pray
That someday
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
It's gonna change
Oh
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I think this one's probably my favorite song on Songs from the Attic... Just an amazing depiction of depression... and of how frustrating it can be for the people who try to help, but just can't do anything to make it better...
This is my second favorite song from the album. It's a beautiful composition and the lyrics are absolutely perfect. 'It's gonna change'...