"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.
Taking to the floor with the wheel to the sky
I loosen my tie, I loosen my tie
Locking down the door with the rhythm and rhyme
I loosen my tie, I loosen my tie
Trying to recall what you want me to say
I shake your way, I shake your way
Counting on the night for a beautiful day
I shake your way, I shake your way
And I say you can't get enough
No you can't get enough
Given a chance, I'm gonna be somebody
If for one dance, I'm gonna be somebody
Open the door, it's gonna make you love me
Facing the floor, I'm gonna be somebody
Now is your time and you know where you stand
With a gun in your hand, with a gun in your hand
Now I'm no longer an ordinary man
Was this your big plan, your gun in your hand
And I say you can't get enough
No you can't get enough
Given a chance, I'm gonna be somebody
If for one dance, I'm gonna be somebody
Open the door, it's gonna make you love me
Facing the floor, I'm gonna be somebody
Be somebody
Be somebody
I loosen my tie, I loosen my tie
Locking down the door with the rhythm and rhyme
I loosen my tie, I loosen my tie
Trying to recall what you want me to say
I shake your way, I shake your way
Counting on the night for a beautiful day
I shake your way, I shake your way
And I say you can't get enough
No you can't get enough
Given a chance, I'm gonna be somebody
If for one dance, I'm gonna be somebody
Open the door, it's gonna make you love me
Facing the floor, I'm gonna be somebody
Now is your time and you know where you stand
With a gun in your hand, with a gun in your hand
Now I'm no longer an ordinary man
Was this your big plan, your gun in your hand
And I say you can't get enough
No you can't get enough
Given a chance, I'm gonna be somebody
If for one dance, I'm gonna be somebody
Open the door, it's gonna make you love me
Facing the floor, I'm gonna be somebody
Be somebody
Be somebody
Lyrics submitted by secondary spine
Be Somebody Lyrics as written by Caleb Followill Nathan Followill
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I totally agree with yhtrownu that this is about Caleb performing! And the melody and drums really fits with that, because the beat always puts a special image in my head. It's hard to explain but it's sounds like running I think. Preparing. Building up for something big.
"with the reach to the sky" he wants to be famous, a star, one of the best
"i loosen my tie" he prepares himself for the night, he looses his tie meaning that he's ready to rock and to be free on the stage, putting on the rock image
"with the rhythm and rhyme" the songs
"trying to recall what you want me to say i shake it your way i shake it your way" they're making the setlist. aswell as having songs they like to play themselves, they have to play songs that will please the crowd and make the fans happy. he's choosing songs that usually gets the fans started - "what you want me to say". he's shaking the crowd's way, doing what they want him to do, because that's why he's there, to deliver to the fans.
"counting on the night for a beautiful day" how their concert at night goes is everything and that's what the day is about
"and i say, you can't get enough now you can't get enough" he sees that everybody loves what they're doing and he trusts that. he knows they the fans can't get enough of him.
"given a chance i wanna be somebody if for one dance i wanna be somebody" as one of extremely few he has got the chance to be famous and a big rock star. now he's no longer just a normal boy from nashville, he is SOMEBODY. and tonight, on the stage, the crowd proves that to him. and even of it's just for "one dance", just for one show, he will be somebody tonight and they will love him.
"open the door it's gonna make you love me i'm facing the floor i wanna be somebody" he opens the door, races on stage. and the rest as i wrote before.
"now it's your time and you know where you stand with a gun in your hand with a gun in your hand" but there's always a problem with being famous, everyone can, and they will, judge you. as he stands on the stage, he feels that everything is one the fans and the audience. it doesn't matter what he's doing, wheter it's good or not, if the world don't like him, it's over. when there's nothing more he can do it's up to the audience to judge him. they can easily shoot him down if they want to.
but he asks the aduience to love him and not to shoot him down. he has been given a chance and he wants to be somebody, all he asks for is their time and intrest for one or two hours.