"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.
I feel no sympathy it's easy
Leave it alone, let it be
All activity must be stop
All the doors must be locked
Don't make sound or we all be fucked
I hear it lurking outside
It's a monster what?
This should be no surprise
It's the other half of your life
Scary as hell thank god I got my wife
She's a soldier at your side
That none can divide
But in the end you'll have to
Face a very different kind
Solitude no "we" this cut don't bleed
So leave it alone, let it be
Break it upon the rocks of your needs
A sinking island
It doesn't want to find them
No friend, no foe, no loose ends to mend
In isolation there's no tempation
To break from familiarity of
Feeling like a rarity a lock with no key
This falling twig is finally been set free
So what's the disparity
What's the problem? You don't need no one
You need nothing from laughing and smiles
No one for miles i am a rock
Fuck the flock
They're just outlines in chalk (yeah)
Manikins that talk (yeah)
Fists that knock (yeah) bullshit that walks
I float above it alone in my grace
The ants disappear without no fuckin' trace
What the fuck is this chain in my chest
Dug into my gut it's tugged by the rest
I can't be dependant, I can't be a mess
I must remain solid in the
Face of this duress its tug of war
Killing my very core
A conflict of property, no more, no more
I'll break the chain i'll cut myself off
No one can touch me in my isolation
You don't speak of the love
You don't speak of rewards
You don't speak of rewards
You don't speak of the cost
I am an altogether different being
I got black wings of fire
And eyes of true seeing
In the past I've seen my
Enemies go a fleeing
Now I avoid the whole thing
No friend to whom I'm clinging
Some say it's not a way to be living
That you should spend your
Life giving and giving
So I flipped the switch
Ain't nobody's bitch
My wounds I self stitch i ignore the itch
To socialize to realize
To see through other peoples eyes
I'm deaf to my own cries
But I'm deaf to the lies you can't deny
With no friends you don't cry
I'll be this way till I die or learn to scry
I am an altogether different being
I got black wings of fire
And eyes of true seeing
I can't fucking breath i'm suffocating
It's isolation
What the fuck am I hiding from?
I'm suffocating it's isolation
What the fuck am I hiding from?
Leave it alone, let it be
All activity must be stop
All the doors must be locked
Don't make sound or we all be fucked
I hear it lurking outside
It's a monster what?
This should be no surprise
It's the other half of your life
Scary as hell thank god I got my wife
She's a soldier at your side
That none can divide
But in the end you'll have to
Face a very different kind
Solitude no "we" this cut don't bleed
So leave it alone, let it be
Break it upon the rocks of your needs
A sinking island
It doesn't want to find them
No friend, no foe, no loose ends to mend
In isolation there's no tempation
To break from familiarity of
Feeling like a rarity a lock with no key
This falling twig is finally been set free
So what's the disparity
What's the problem? You don't need no one
You need nothing from laughing and smiles
No one for miles i am a rock
Fuck the flock
They're just outlines in chalk (yeah)
Manikins that talk (yeah)
Fists that knock (yeah) bullshit that walks
I float above it alone in my grace
The ants disappear without no fuckin' trace
What the fuck is this chain in my chest
Dug into my gut it's tugged by the rest
I can't be dependant, I can't be a mess
I must remain solid in the
Face of this duress its tug of war
Killing my very core
A conflict of property, no more, no more
I'll break the chain i'll cut myself off
No one can touch me in my isolation
You don't speak of the love
You don't speak of rewards
You don't speak of rewards
You don't speak of the cost
I am an altogether different being
I got black wings of fire
And eyes of true seeing
In the past I've seen my
Enemies go a fleeing
Now I avoid the whole thing
No friend to whom I'm clinging
Some say it's not a way to be living
That you should spend your
Life giving and giving
So I flipped the switch
Ain't nobody's bitch
My wounds I self stitch i ignore the itch
To socialize to realize
To see through other peoples eyes
I'm deaf to my own cries
But I'm deaf to the lies you can't deny
With no friends you don't cry
I'll be this way till I die or learn to scry
I am an altogether different being
I got black wings of fire
And eyes of true seeing
I can't fucking breath i'm suffocating
It's isolation
What the fuck am I hiding from?
I'm suffocating it's isolation
What the fuck am I hiding from?
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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/
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.
To me this songs starts off with the person being in denial. Thinking that being alone makes them almost superior or unique. But then near the end of the song they come the realization that isolation is really ruining their life. This is something that really hits home for me, as this is something I have gone through. It wasn't until I met someone special that I realized what an empty shell of a human being I was, I wasn't living at all. The last few lines ring very true:
"I can't fucking breath I'm suffocating It's isolation What the fuck am I hiding from?"
I felt this way so many times, but I always thought I was just meant to be alone and the world telling me how I should live my life made me feel like that. But I was lying to myself. I really did feel that way and couldn't face it.