"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.
Dear Mick, must I be thick?
Or a prick and a half to be so daft to doubt
When I know that I'm in the full close to head throes of darkest prang
Within, out, you, me, rhyme and reason are
All wildly out of season and it's spineless treason
The kingship that allows the violent silence
Always babbling in my attempt at verse
But it is pranging out, for which I'm gonna do a verse
It seems I can withstand the prang and get it together to sing, as I once sang
Drink in the real gang
Flick the twang we sang a song
Sad as sin on a pirate ship on dry land
[chorus]
[spoken]Lead Bilo to the mournful morning prang[spoken]
It stings when I ding, it stings like fuck
And it's not just to rock and knock out the cluck
My days are spent swerving prangs
Like Old Bill in a jag
But reality keeps on like a nag
Stop it, stop it, before you cop it
Off the rails, on style impaled
By injustice jailed
And to a tabloid crossword nailed
Junkie rocker hailed and I
Appear in the morning too minging to sing
And there's not much worse than that
Except perhaps death
Prang is a night that gets darker and darker
That light that gets starker and starker
Prang is the bends with a capital B
Life's all mixed up of late
I can't see through you
Seeing through me
[chorus]
[spoken]Trying to walk tall and look hard
Pranged when you're on remand
And can't face cheers and jeers in the yard[spoken]
Oh tell me not that story of the lad
Who brang into the studio
Rocked for six, and changed, and wound up whacked up gacked up pranged
And then came his turn to stand and sing
On The Streets' collaboration thing
He looked about him in a sweat
Spotlight on his twitchin' leg
Looking for the words i was looking forward to laying
but i was twisted eyes red crossed, sold, lost again washed up
on suicidal tidal wave of denial
tossed and torn and hung, drawn prang dawn
i'm parachutin into paranoia and crash landing with a dizzy spin
my lover looks like gruesome goya and my minds off it
my lover kisses me and whispers come come
oh my coke, crack, smack and speed
in goes when i need when the prang cooks up my heart and soul and decides for a feed
very hot indeed, very hot indeed
[chorus]
[spoken]Lead Bilo to the mournful morning prang
rock be in control of me[spoken]
Now true story
mike invites this blues jackanory to his mic
clean as serene back is like prang to fuck em??
be well as i might or might well i be
rocks and b have loose and not their grip on me
as detox looms a day away
and the air is nile but is loud to play
this hip hop hand and this shit hot land
of street symphonys one man band
different type of garage twang
this bilo to the mournful morning prang
[mubbling nonsense]
Or a prick and a half to be so daft to doubt
When I know that I'm in the full close to head throes of darkest prang
Within, out, you, me, rhyme and reason are
All wildly out of season and it's spineless treason
The kingship that allows the violent silence
Always babbling in my attempt at verse
But it is pranging out, for which I'm gonna do a verse
It seems I can withstand the prang and get it together to sing, as I once sang
Drink in the real gang
Flick the twang we sang a song
Sad as sin on a pirate ship on dry land
[chorus]
[spoken]Lead Bilo to the mournful morning prang[spoken]
It stings when I ding, it stings like fuck
And it's not just to rock and knock out the cluck
My days are spent swerving prangs
Like Old Bill in a jag
But reality keeps on like a nag
Stop it, stop it, before you cop it
Off the rails, on style impaled
By injustice jailed
And to a tabloid crossword nailed
Junkie rocker hailed and I
Appear in the morning too minging to sing
And there's not much worse than that
Except perhaps death
Prang is a night that gets darker and darker
That light that gets starker and starker
Prang is the bends with a capital B
Life's all mixed up of late
I can't see through you
Seeing through me
[chorus]
[spoken]Trying to walk tall and look hard
Pranged when you're on remand
And can't face cheers and jeers in the yard[spoken]
Oh tell me not that story of the lad
Who brang into the studio
Rocked for six, and changed, and wound up whacked up gacked up pranged
And then came his turn to stand and sing
On The Streets' collaboration thing
He looked about him in a sweat
Spotlight on his twitchin' leg
Looking for the words i was looking forward to laying
but i was twisted eyes red crossed, sold, lost again washed up
on suicidal tidal wave of denial
tossed and torn and hung, drawn prang dawn
i'm parachutin into paranoia and crash landing with a dizzy spin
my lover looks like gruesome goya and my minds off it
my lover kisses me and whispers come come
oh my coke, crack, smack and speed
in goes when i need when the prang cooks up my heart and soul and decides for a feed
very hot indeed, very hot indeed
[chorus]
[spoken]Lead Bilo to the mournful morning prang
rock be in control of me[spoken]
Now true story
mike invites this blues jackanory to his mic
clean as serene back is like prang to fuck em??
be well as i might or might well i be
rocks and b have loose and not their grip on me
as detox looms a day away
and the air is nile but is loud to play
this hip hop hand and this shit hot land
of street symphonys one man band
different type of garage twang
this bilo to the mournful morning prang
[mubbling nonsense]
Lyrics submitted by applebuttaz1212, edited by wilhopson
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
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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
my lover kisses me and whispers "come,come" oh my...coke, crack, smack and speed
By the way he says "oh my..." I get the impression he wanted to say "god" but instead says "coke, crack, smack and speed", as if drugs became the equivalent of god to him