"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.
Can you help me out
Can you lend me a hand
It's safe to say
That I'm stuck again
Trapped between this life
And the light
I just cant figure out
How to make it right
A thousand times before
I've wondered if there's something more
Something more
I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
So let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
With every tomorrow comes another life
I feel it's gonna rain
For days and days
I feel it's gonna rain
I've tried to figure out
I can't understand
What it means
To be whole again
Trapped between the truth
And the consequence
Nothing's real
Nothing's making sense
A thousand times before
I've wondered if there's something more
Something more
I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
So let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
I feel it's gonna rain like this, rain like this, rain like this
Fall down
Wash away my yesterdays
Fall down
So let the rain fall down on me
I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
Let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
I feel it's gonna rain like this, rain like this (so let the rain fall down)
I feel it's gonna rain like this, rain like this (so let the rain fall down)
I feel it's gonna rain like this
I feel it's gonna rain
Can you lend me a hand
It's safe to say
That I'm stuck again
Trapped between this life
And the light
I just cant figure out
How to make it right
A thousand times before
I've wondered if there's something more
Something more
I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
So let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
With every tomorrow comes another life
I feel it's gonna rain
For days and days
I feel it's gonna rain
I've tried to figure out
I can't understand
What it means
To be whole again
Trapped between the truth
And the consequence
Nothing's real
Nothing's making sense
A thousand times before
I've wondered if there's something more
Something more
I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
So let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
I feel it's gonna rain like this, rain like this, rain like this
Fall down
Wash away my yesterdays
Fall down
So let the rain fall down on me
I feel it's gonna rain like this for days
Let it rain down and wash everything away
I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine
I feel it's gonna rain like this, rain like this (so let the rain fall down)
I feel it's gonna rain like this, rain like this (so let the rain fall down)
I feel it's gonna rain like this
I feel it's gonna rain
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
this is definitely about scott asking God for help. it seems that Scott wants the presence of God to fall down on him like rain and just wash away his past. it clearly says: "fall down, wash away my yesterdays". Scott also tries to tell that once the presence of God falls down on him, the he will be able to start a new day and everything will be so clear. "I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine".