"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.
Take a little walk to the edge of town and go across the tracks
Where the viaduct looms like a bird of doom as it shifts and cracks
Where secrets lie in the border fires in the humming wires
Well, you know You're never coming back
Past the square, past the bridge, past the mills, past the stacks
On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man
In a dusty black coat with a red right hand
He'll wrap you in his arms and tell you that you've been a good boy
He'll rekindle all the dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy
He'll reach deep into the hole, heal your shrinking soul
And there won't be a single thing that you can do
He's a god, he's a man, he's a ghost, he's a guru
They're whispering his name 'cross this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat is a red right hand
You don't have no money? He'll get you some
If you haven't got no car, he'll get you one
You've got no self-respect, you feel like an insect
Well, don't you worry, buddy, 'cause here he comes
Through the ghettos and the barrows and the Bowery and the slum
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his red right hand
You'll see him in your nightmares, you'll see him in your dreams
He'll appear out of nowhere, but he's not what he seems
You'll see him in your head on the TV screen
Hey, buddy, I'm warning you to turn it off
He's a ghost, he's a god, he's a man, he's a guru
You're one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by his red right hand
Where the viaduct looms like a bird of doom as it shifts and cracks
Where secrets lie in the border fires in the humming wires
Well, you know You're never coming back
Past the square, past the bridge, past the mills, past the stacks
On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man
In a dusty black coat with a red right hand
He'll wrap you in his arms and tell you that you've been a good boy
He'll rekindle all the dreams it took you a lifetime to destroy
He'll reach deep into the hole, heal your shrinking soul
And there won't be a single thing that you can do
He's a god, he's a man, he's a ghost, he's a guru
They're whispering his name 'cross this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat is a red right hand
You don't have no money? He'll get you some
If you haven't got no car, he'll get you one
You've got no self-respect, you feel like an insect
Well, don't you worry, buddy, 'cause here he comes
Through the ghettos and the barrows and the Bowery and the slum
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his red right hand
You'll see him in your nightmares, you'll see him in your dreams
He'll appear out of nowhere, but he's not what he seems
You'll see him in your head on the TV screen
Hey, buddy, I'm warning you to turn it off
He's a ghost, he's a god, he's a man, he's a guru
You're one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by his red right hand
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
The "Red Right Hand" is the hand of God, red on account of the way it strikes humans in punishing ways. Horace (23BC) wrote of the God Jupiter striking his own city and temple with his red right hand. Then, in 1667, in Milton's Paradise Lost, the fallen angel Baliol warns the other fallen angels not to go to war with God for fear of his "red right hand" striking them.
In Nick Cave's version (1994), he depicts the contradictory nature of God, at once a ghost (holy), a guru (preacher), a man (Jesus) and yet still threatening us that with "red right hand" of punishment for our sins, even after promising to answer our prayers for money, self-respect, cars, etc.
"God's plan," at once creating us all, and then punishing us all, is seen as bizarre and threatening: every human is merely "one microscopic cog in his catastrophic plan Designed and directed by his red right hand."
some mistakes
the humming wires and the border fires well you know you're never comin back
He's a god, he's a man, he's a ghost, he's a guru … first time
You don't no money?
and the bowery and the slums
Love this song!
Sorry for replying myself<br /> <br /> You don't have no money?
i suppose its about a powerful man but obviouslty theres more to it
I like this cover. Not as haunting or powerful as the original but they weren't attempting to. Great cover of a great songg
It is for real....Several months ago, about two o’clock in the morning, I saw the Right Red (wine colored) hand of God. On or about that evening I also saw a shadow, mid-20 female, walking into my bedroom and going into our master bath. Both appearances only lasted for some 5 seconds. Note: I have never seen a Big Foot, a flying saucer, men from another planet or a ghost. I have astral projected and experienced flying dreams. Some two months prior to the sighting of the Red Hand I wrote a 56 page dissertation on that Jesus, and the New Testament was only fabrications created and written by mere men. Shortly after the experience I tried putting together something on the Red Hand of God. All I found were two entries…Milton’s Paradise Lost and Cave’s lyrics “The Red Right Hand of God”. Please do not write back and say was I on drugs…no….it was simply a hallucination…no…or it was all in your head…no. Have any of you folks experienced similar happenings?
in my opinion i think it is about the devil and all the 'good things' he can give you, he comes across handsome and well done. giving you all of the things you need. but he isnt the way that you thought. he is just doing what the devil does and turn you in the wrong direction. i dont know if this is really the meaning, i mean i have no idea if someone has actually heard it from the original singer or alex but to me this is what it is.
in my opinion i think it is about the devil and all the 'good things' he can give you, he comes across handsome and well done. giving you all of the things you need. but he isnt the way that you thought. he is just doing what the devil does and turn you in the wrong direction. i dont know if this is really the meaning, i mean i have no idea if someone has actually heard it from the original singer or alex but to me this is what it is.