"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.
The words that no one speaks
About the night before
She stares off at the road
Her finger taps the door
I'd hate to judge if roles reverse you'd think so too
She'd seen the film before
But stayed until the end
She had him to herself
Perhaps as more than friends
Maybe I'd do things differently if I were you
[CHORUS:]
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear that there's no other girl
Your body shakes, it's like tonight we can take the world
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear we can take the world
His hand against her cheek
Her tongue against his neck
She says "you're awfully sweet, I feel like we connect"
Maybe it's love. How would she know?
And did she tell?
The clothes they go on slow
She thinks of what to say
He whispers in her ear
She smiles and looks away
Her heart it screams she grabs his hand and says "me too"
[CHORUS:]
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear that there's no other girl
Your body shakes, it's like tonight we can take the world
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear we can take the world
Is this the life the one you imagined
Is this the life, the one from your dreams
[repeat 5x]
([VO at 3x:] the boy meets girl and a girl meets a boy)
[CHORUS:]
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear that there's no other girl
Your body shakes, it's like tonight we can take the world
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear we can take the world
About the night before
She stares off at the road
Her finger taps the door
I'd hate to judge if roles reverse you'd think so too
She'd seen the film before
But stayed until the end
She had him to herself
Perhaps as more than friends
Maybe I'd do things differently if I were you
[CHORUS:]
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear that there's no other girl
Your body shakes, it's like tonight we can take the world
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear we can take the world
His hand against her cheek
Her tongue against his neck
She says "you're awfully sweet, I feel like we connect"
Maybe it's love. How would she know?
And did she tell?
The clothes they go on slow
She thinks of what to say
He whispers in her ear
She smiles and looks away
Her heart it screams she grabs his hand and says "me too"
[CHORUS:]
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear that there's no other girl
Your body shakes, it's like tonight we can take the world
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear we can take the world
Is this the life the one you imagined
Is this the life, the one from your dreams
[repeat 5x]
([VO at 3x:] the boy meets girl and a girl meets a boy)
[CHORUS:]
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear that there's no other girl
Your body shakes, it's like tonight we can take the world
Your pulse it races with mine and I swear we can take the world
Lyrics submitted by Cure.
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
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”
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
What a beautiful song