"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.
Coming back from the scene you started
Got your head on the window slanted
The thought of your skin it sets it off
At the back of a red Cortina
I pray that a black hole take her
Gone from sight, and, never back, and never back
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away, I waste away
Sat alone til the lightning got me
Something I can't just say softly
I'm a set the height and keep you uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-up
At the back of a red Cortina
Pray that the lightning take her
Gone from sight and never back and never back
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away, I waste away
Got your head on the window slanted
The thought of your skin it sets it off
At the back of a red Cortina
I pray that a black hole take her
Gone from sight, and, never back, and never back
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away, I waste away
Sat alone til the lightning got me
Something I can't just say softly
I'm a set the height and keep you uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-up
At the back of a red Cortina
Pray that the lightning take her
Gone from sight and never back and never back
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, I waste away
Going back away, no way, no way
Going back away, I waste away
Lyrics submitted by pinche yliana!, edited by ethereal21, DArkB0mb, screaming@thepage
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
i really enjoy this song and there was no site that had the lyrics so i tried figuring them out myself. i'm not to sure though of the first line, 'cause it could also be sea staring?
Such an incredible song, here's what I think the lyrics are but your guess is as good as mine
Coming back from the scene you started Got your head on the window slanted It's all over your skin it sets it off
At the back of a red container I pray that a black hole take her Gone from sight and never back and never back
Going back away I waste away Going back away I waste away Going back away no way no way Going back away I waste away
Going back away I waste away Going back away I waste away Going back away no way no way Going back away I waste away
Sat alone til the lightning got me Something I can't just say softly I'ma sit behind and keep you uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-up
At the back of a red container Pray that the lightning take her Gone from sight and never back and never back
Going back away I waste away Going back away I waste away Going back away no way no way Going back away I waste away
Going back away I waste away Going back away I waste away Going back away no way no way Going back away I waste away
i know it's been awhile since i posted this up but thanks a million jed. i thought you were right about the lyrics and so i changed them. now that they are changed this song makes a lot more sense. :)
To me the song is about this guy singing about a girl he is with that is overly dramatic and causes him a lot of distress. In the first verse they seem to be in a car ( "your head on the window"; "red container"), after leaving a place where they had a public fight. They appear to still be mad at each other in the car because he mentions "It's all over your skin it sets it off" as in the tension causes them to start fighting again and he is so mad, he wishes she is wiped off the face of the planet, essentially ("pray that a black hole take her"). Once they get home, it's storming outside and he is sitting alone in some room and he is thinking about how he can't calmly say how he feels ("Something I can't just say softly") and how by not going to sleep, he is keeping her up. In the next verse he repeats his sentiment of her disappearing from his life ("pray that the lightning take her"). I believe the chorus is him speaking metaphorically about "going away", where in reality they are just not speaking to each other and he feels as though he is "wasting away" when they are not on good terms.
Very insightful post. Didn't think of the fact that they could likely be in a car, but that reminded me of one of the lyrics that always stuck out like a sore thumb whenever I listened to this song; the "red container". I originally thought it could be "red cantina", the public setting where the "scene" may have been started, but now I believe it may be "red Cortina"-the Cortina being a vintage Ford model, specifically built by Ford of Britain(!), which happened to be the UK's best selling car in the 70's. Seems pretty clear to me now after reading your interpretation.<br />
oh and DUH, of course it's a car; you can clearly hear what sounds like a RADIO in the background of the bridge section.
oh wow! I'm glad my thoughts directed to you to the correct reference. I definitely believe it's red cortina now, nice job!