"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.
my watch says eleven-twenty-seven AM
sittin' in a subway station
heartbeat racin'
i'm waitin' on the day to begin
she's half an hour late now
i'm about to have a breakdown
i've stopped tryin' to make any of it make sense
i've relived the conversations (say it all in code)
lost my patience
and i sleep in the basement
i read her sentence in mine all in the same line (a bitter mystery)
when you wake up
i would be gone (that only you could know)
when you wake up
i would be gone (that only i could see)
the letter she left was one line long (save me)
goodbye forever i'm gone (i can't say)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (you loved me)
that we used to call a home (i swore i loved you)
the letter she left was one line long (every day)
goodbye forever i'm gone (??)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (this will end)
we used to call a home (soon when i go)
and on the plains of antarctica
we built a tiny house to keep ourselves out of the cold
from the start when your eyes were bright
it is the only place that i could ever call a home
you froze to death on december tenth
was a couple of days before the rescue planes would come
i buried you on our wedding day
with the shards of my heart and said goodbye forever i'm gone
the letter she left was one line long (save me)
goodbye forever i'm gone (i can't say)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (you loved me)
that we used to call a home (i swore i loved you)
the letter she left was one line long (every day)
goodbye forever i'm gone (??)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (this will end)
we used to call a home (soon when i go)
make the truth the lie
i'll keep your secret safe
hidden in my smile
lonely in my grave
sittin' in a subway station
heartbeat racin'
i'm waitin' on the day to begin
she's half an hour late now
i'm about to have a breakdown
i've stopped tryin' to make any of it make sense
i've relived the conversations (say it all in code)
lost my patience
and i sleep in the basement
i read her sentence in mine all in the same line (a bitter mystery)
when you wake up
i would be gone (that only you could know)
when you wake up
i would be gone (that only i could see)
the letter she left was one line long (save me)
goodbye forever i'm gone (i can't say)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (you loved me)
that we used to call a home (i swore i loved you)
the letter she left was one line long (every day)
goodbye forever i'm gone (??)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (this will end)
we used to call a home (soon when i go)
and on the plains of antarctica
we built a tiny house to keep ourselves out of the cold
from the start when your eyes were bright
it is the only place that i could ever call a home
you froze to death on december tenth
was a couple of days before the rescue planes would come
i buried you on our wedding day
with the shards of my heart and said goodbye forever i'm gone
the letter she left was one line long (save me)
goodbye forever i'm gone (i can't say)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (you loved me)
that we used to call a home (i swore i loved you)
the letter she left was one line long (every day)
goodbye forever i'm gone (??)
it was sitting in a table in a room in a red brick box (this will end)
we used to call a home (soon when i go)
make the truth the lie
i'll keep your secret safe
hidden in my smile
lonely in my grave
Lyrics submitted by MaritheGreat
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
This is my hands down favorite song of theirs -- also the first one I heard. The way he uses the metaphor that she "froze to death" and then "buried her on our wedding day" is such a fantastic symbol of the abandonment and lost love.
Definitely one of the best trip-hop songs out there.