"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.
Ooh oh oh oh, ooh oh oh oh
Be careful making wishes in the dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides in the mean-meantime I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart
I'm in the de-details with the devil
So now the world can never get me on my level
I just got to get you out of the cage
I'm a young lovers rage
Gonna need a spark to ignite
My songs know what you did in the dark
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
All the writers keep writing what they write
Somewhere another pretty vein just dies
I've got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see
That you're the antidote to everything, except for me
A constellation of tears on your lashes
Burn everything you love
Then burn the ashes
In the end everything collides
My childhood spat back out the monster that you see
My songs know what you did in the dark
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
My songs know what you did in the dark
My songs know what you did in the dark
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh
Be careful making wishes in the dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides in the mean-meantime I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart
I'm in the de-details with the devil
So now the world can never get me on my level
I just got to get you out of the cage
I'm a young lovers rage
Gonna need a spark to ignite
My songs know what you did in the dark
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
All the writers keep writing what they write
Somewhere another pretty vein just dies
I've got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see
That you're the antidote to everything, except for me
A constellation of tears on your lashes
Burn everything you love
Then burn the ashes
In the end everything collides
My childhood spat back out the monster that you see
My songs know what you did in the dark
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
My songs know what you did in the dark
My songs know what you did in the dark
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
So light em up up up, light em up up up
Light em up up up, I'm on fire
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh oh (in the dark-dark)
Ooh oh oh
Lyrics submitted by aristuma21, edited by thrwmyhrtawy., bondoge, Mellow_Harsher, fool4lyrix, gwynnpark, Overcastkid, theSyd16, zreeram
My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) Lyrics as written by Butch Walker Andrew Hurley
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
No no no..... you guys got it all wrong. Obviously the song is about the black guy and his girlfriends doing something bad in the dark. Now Fall Out Boy wrote a song about the bad things they did in the dark (which is why it is called My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark). So now, they are burning the songs about the bad stuff they did to get rid of the evidence.
Basically the black peeps are lighting up the songs to get rid of the evidence... :)
You're welcome