"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.
Won't be so easy
This time to hurt me
You can try
And this time oh baby
There are no tears left here to dry
If you think you can wound me like before
If you think you can do that anymore
Won't get to far
No!
You can't break a broken heart
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break a broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
Hurt me before now
Won't hurt no more now
Not this time
You might do better
Messing with someone else's mind
Cause you're not gonna bring me down again
You're done with throwing me the way you did
It's gone to far eh
You can't break a broken heart
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break a broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm a immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
Still don't means to your time
Your time has come and gone
What are you here for
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break the broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break a broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
Break a broken heart
This time to hurt me
You can try
And this time oh baby
There are no tears left here to dry
If you think you can wound me like before
If you think you can do that anymore
Won't get to far
No!
You can't break a broken heart
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break a broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
Hurt me before now
Won't hurt no more now
Not this time
You might do better
Messing with someone else's mind
Cause you're not gonna bring me down again
You're done with throwing me the way you did
It's gone to far eh
You can't break a broken heart
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break a broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm a immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
Still don't means to your time
Your time has come and gone
What are you here for
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break the broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
So try your best now baby
Try your best to break me
You can't break a broken heart
No damage you can do now
I'm immune to you now
You can't break what broke apart
There's nothing you can do to me no more
You can't break a broken heart
Break a broken heart
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
No comments? wow. This song is getting me through something right now. I personally think that this is her best song.
About someone who's just had enough; the damage has been done.
I totally agree. There comes a point where you're just done with it -- and there's no more damage that they can do because they've already caused enough pain. And you make the decision that you won't put up with any of that crap anymore. She's saying that he can try all he wants, but nothing will work anymore because she's totally done with it all. And that is basically what it's all about. I love this one so much. One of my favorites by her. Lyrics are so true.
I agree with the previous comments. She's done. He keeps hurting her and hurting her and she keeps taking him back only for him to do it again. So when something else comes up, she's basically immune to his silly little games, so that she can't feel the pain.