"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.
You see your life in bits and pieces
And all the things you loved are useless
It's all in your mind and all in due time
The sun will shine from up above
You say you feel so alienated
And all the things you were loving, you're hating
You're feeling so numb, you're coming undone
It's time to get back where you're from
Are you ready to fly 'cause this is your life
If it's beating you down, come on, get up
Open your eyes
That's how you know who you are
You know there's gonna come a day when you will know
Come a day when you will know
Come a day when you will know
Come a day when you will know
You see your life is far from over
Stop wasting time on a four leaf clover
And there ain't no use complaining
That's the way it's staying
No time to just give over
Are you ready to fly 'cause this is your life
If it's beating you down, come on, get up
And all the things you loved are useless
It's all in your mind and all in due time
The sun will shine from up above
You say you feel so alienated
And all the things you were loving, you're hating
You're feeling so numb, you're coming undone
It's time to get back where you're from
Are you ready to fly 'cause this is your life
If it's beating you down, come on, get up
Open your eyes
That's how you know who you are
You know there's gonna come a day when you will know
Come a day when you will know
Come a day when you will know
Come a day when you will know
You see your life is far from over
Stop wasting time on a four leaf clover
And there ain't no use complaining
That's the way it's staying
No time to just give over
Are you ready to fly 'cause this is your life
If it's beating you down, come on, get up
Lyrics submitted by gothic_hobbit
Open Your Eyes Lyrics as written by Harley Dinardo Derrick Hawkins
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
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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.
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Great version of a great song,
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