"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.
Riding, and riding, we search across the land
The snow, and wind, has frozen hearts of man
But we ride
We ride
Many days ago we left our homes
With swords to ride into the night
Fighting side by side to destroy our foes
And leave them without life
We stop, consider the land that we travelled
Our map's at home, direction unravelled
But we ride
We ride
Many days ago we left our homes
With swords to ride into the night
Fighting side by side to destroy our foes
And leave them without life
So much time has passed since we left our land
That we've become concerned
And we'll never find the battle
That we should have fought and won
But we won't stop searching
Lost but still we ride
Search until we die
We ride
We ride
Hungry and tired the frigid plain yeilds little
We trudge on further, eating pride and snow that's brittle
We ride
We ride
We come upon a witch who takes us in
To let us share her mighty fire
She asks of us our story and we lie and say
We ride around for hire
She asks us if we'd like to have her map
And points us in some direction
But we are far too proud and strong so we keep silent
And ignore her suggestion
Lost but still we ride
Search until we die
All the fault of pride
The gods weep in the night
Lost but still we ride
Search until we die
All the fault of pride
The gods weep in the night
We ride
We ride
The snow, and wind, has frozen hearts of man
But we ride
We ride
Many days ago we left our homes
With swords to ride into the night
Fighting side by side to destroy our foes
And leave them without life
We stop, consider the land that we travelled
Our map's at home, direction unravelled
But we ride
We ride
Many days ago we left our homes
With swords to ride into the night
Fighting side by side to destroy our foes
And leave them without life
So much time has passed since we left our land
That we've become concerned
And we'll never find the battle
That we should have fought and won
But we won't stop searching
Lost but still we ride
Search until we die
We ride
We ride
Hungry and tired the frigid plain yeilds little
We trudge on further, eating pride and snow that's brittle
We ride
We ride
We come upon a witch who takes us in
To let us share her mighty fire
She asks of us our story and we lie and say
We ride around for hire
She asks us if we'd like to have her map
And points us in some direction
But we are far too proud and strong so we keep silent
And ignore her suggestion
Lost but still we ride
Search until we die
All the fault of pride
The gods weep in the night
Lost but still we ride
Search until we die
All the fault of pride
The gods weep in the night
We ride
We ride
Lyrics submitted by aristuma21
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.