"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.
Hi ho, tripper's out cold
I've got a feeling like a tired old flow
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Gasoline, saccharinne
I've got no reason for the state I'm in
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Hotel, Taco Bell
I got the hit but you know damned well
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Cut teeth, bet a belief
I've got a feeling that I'm underneath
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
But it's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay!
Flick flack, no slack
I've got the wit that my enemies lack
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Trick some, just begun
I'm givin' you more when you only want one
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Hot sweat, got debt
Keep your licker in the locker 'cos you don't know yet
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Ship shape, ticker tape
Looks to me like a narrow escape
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
But it's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be!
I've got a feeling like a tired old flow
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Gasoline, saccharinne
I've got no reason for the state I'm in
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Hotel, Taco Bell
I got the hit but you know damned well
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Cut teeth, bet a belief
I've got a feeling that I'm underneath
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
But it's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay!
Flick flack, no slack
I've got the wit that my enemies lack
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Trick some, just begun
I'm givin' you more when you only want one
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Hot sweat, got debt
Keep your licker in the locker 'cos you don't know yet
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
Ship shape, ticker tape
Looks to me like a narrow escape
But I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
But it's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay
I got the time but the time don't pay
It's alright, it's okay!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am!
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be
I know what I am, they know what they are
So let me be!
Lyrics submitted by Pippin the Mercury
I Know What I Am Lyrics as written by Matt Hayward Emma Richardson
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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”
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.
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.
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.
I love this song! It's so inspiring to me for some reason. It's one of those songs where I understand the meaning but I can't seem to put my understanding into words.