"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.
Hair, check!
Shoes, check!
A brand new fit, lookin' cool, check!
I'm lookin' in the mirror like oooh, yes!
To cover for an insecure dude, check!
But she won't feel me and they won't like me
If I ain't in them J's or them brand new nikes
Let's dig deeper inside my psyche
When it's all said and done even I don't like me
He live in the gym and his hair stay faded
Late model car so they think he made it
He's Christian, he gave his life
But he still ain't satisfied in the savior Christ
Still finds his identity in looks and cars
If he only knew that he ain't have to look so hard
If he looked in God
It may seem odd
But he be so satisfied, he can leave it all
I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no
I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ
Got her hair done, toes, nails
Is that Her, well it's hard to tell
Cause she's so caked up in all that make up
It's like she tryna make up for what she ain't but
She's a saint, but so confused
Cause she's been rejected by all these dudes
That tell her on a scale of 10 she's a two
But that ain't true
If she only knew
In Christ she is loved, she secure and accepted
Never be rejected by God whose elected her
Her beauty is her Godliness
And she ain't gotta flaunt it cause it's obvious
Identity is found in the God we trust
And any other identity will self destruct
Identity is found in the God we trust
And any other identity will self destruct
I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no
I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ
Hey, how do I gain success
Why do I say I'm blessed, huh
Is it the car that I drive
Or the place that I rest
Or the way that I dress, now, now
Is the cause of my pride
The stage and the set
Or my face in the press, now, now
It's the applause that dies
When the praise is less
If my face is depressed, then, then
It's cause my value and worth is in the volume of the work I produce in the booth
It's a prize and a curse if defined by the perks when the truth is through
Man I won't feel like I don't want to live no more, no more, no more
Cause they don't like me, like they did in 04, 04, 04
So I swallow my pride empowered by God, I'm complete in Him
He's got peace God's priest, I'm in
In His presence weak is strength
Meet His kin
We His brethren
Read this list
Me forgiven
He's dismissed guilt and my sin
And then I find my worth cause I'm Jesus' friend
I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no
I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ
Shoes, check!
A brand new fit, lookin' cool, check!
I'm lookin' in the mirror like oooh, yes!
To cover for an insecure dude, check!
But she won't feel me and they won't like me
If I ain't in them J's or them brand new nikes
Let's dig deeper inside my psyche
When it's all said and done even I don't like me
He live in the gym and his hair stay faded
Late model car so they think he made it
He's Christian, he gave his life
But he still ain't satisfied in the savior Christ
Still finds his identity in looks and cars
If he only knew that he ain't have to look so hard
If he looked in God
It may seem odd
But he be so satisfied, he can leave it all
I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no
I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ
Got her hair done, toes, nails
Is that Her, well it's hard to tell
Cause she's so caked up in all that make up
It's like she tryna make up for what she ain't but
She's a saint, but so confused
Cause she's been rejected by all these dudes
That tell her on a scale of 10 she's a two
But that ain't true
If she only knew
In Christ she is loved, she secure and accepted
Never be rejected by God whose elected her
Her beauty is her Godliness
And she ain't gotta flaunt it cause it's obvious
Identity is found in the God we trust
And any other identity will self destruct
Identity is found in the God we trust
And any other identity will self destruct
I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no
I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ
Hey, how do I gain success
Why do I say I'm blessed, huh
Is it the car that I drive
Or the place that I rest
Or the way that I dress, now, now
Is the cause of my pride
The stage and the set
Or my face in the press, now, now
It's the applause that dies
When the praise is less
If my face is depressed, then, then
It's cause my value and worth is in the volume of the work I produce in the booth
It's a prize and a curse if defined by the perks when the truth is through
Man I won't feel like I don't want to live no more, no more, no more
Cause they don't like me, like they did in 04, 04, 04
So I swallow my pride empowered by God, I'm complete in Him
He's got peace God's priest, I'm in
In His presence weak is strength
Meet His kin
We His brethren
Read this list
Me forgiven
He's dismissed guilt and my sin
And then I find my worth cause I'm Jesus' friend
I'm not the shoes I wear
I'm not the clothes I buy
I'm not the house I live in
I'm not the car I drive, no
I'm not the job I work
You can't define my worth
By nothing on God's green earth
My identity is found in Christ, is found in Christ
Lyrics submitted by Butcherandhisknives
Identity Lyrics as written by Andrew Dwiggins Brandon Armstrong
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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"
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.
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.
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.
I can't believe no one's commented on this song. It's awesome! It's so great to hear someone rapping about Christian identity with such amazing mainstream appeal. I'd probably love it just as much even if it (or I) weren't Christian.