"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.
Remember how you looked at me
there was only one man alive
I was all you ever needed
I could see it in your eyes.
Remember everything you said,
you wore your heart out on your sleeve.
All the words still echo in my head,
I believe.
It’s funny how things can change, with one blink of an eye.
It doesn’t matter what I say, all you see is goodbye.
I hope you think of me when you’re all by yourself, I hope you scream my name when you’re with someone else.
And if you feel the pain that only I can take away, I hope one day you’ll wake up and you’ll say I’m the one that got away.
Did I love you way too much,
please tell me what I did so wrong.
What was the defining moment when you knew that it was gone?
It’s funny how your world can change with one drop of a dime.
It doesn’t matter what you say, all I hear is goodbye.
And I hope you think of me when you’re all by yourself, I hope you scream my name when you’re with someone else. And if you feel the pain that only I can take away, I hope one day you’ll wake up and you’ll say I’m the one that got away.
I hope one day you’ll open your eyes and you’ll see the biggest mistake you ever made was walking out on my, giving up on love.
All I see is goodbye.
I hope you think of me when you’re all by yourself, I hope you scream my name when you’re with someone else. And if you feel the pain that only I can wash a way, I hope one day you’ll wake up and you’ll say, yeah, I’m the one that got away.
Oh the one that got away.
there was only one man alive
I was all you ever needed
I could see it in your eyes.
Remember everything you said,
you wore your heart out on your sleeve.
All the words still echo in my head,
I believe.
It’s funny how things can change, with one blink of an eye.
It doesn’t matter what I say, all you see is goodbye.
I hope you think of me when you’re all by yourself, I hope you scream my name when you’re with someone else.
And if you feel the pain that only I can take away, I hope one day you’ll wake up and you’ll say I’m the one that got away.
Did I love you way too much,
please tell me what I did so wrong.
What was the defining moment when you knew that it was gone?
It’s funny how your world can change with one drop of a dime.
It doesn’t matter what you say, all I hear is goodbye.
And I hope you think of me when you’re all by yourself, I hope you scream my name when you’re with someone else. And if you feel the pain that only I can take away, I hope one day you’ll wake up and you’ll say I’m the one that got away.
I hope one day you’ll open your eyes and you’ll see the biggest mistake you ever made was walking out on my, giving up on love.
All I see is goodbye.
I hope you think of me when you’re all by yourself, I hope you scream my name when you’re with someone else. And if you feel the pain that only I can wash a way, I hope one day you’ll wake up and you’ll say, yeah, I’m the one that got away.
Oh the one that got away.
Lyrics submitted by xx_sunshine
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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.
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.