"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.
Hey mama, don't you treat me wrong
Come and love your daddy all night long, all right now
Hey hey
All right
See the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing, all right now, now
Hey hey
Hey hey
Tell your mama, tell your pa
I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas, oh yes m'am
You don't do right
Don't do right
Oh, play it boy
When you see me in misery
Come on baby, see about me now, yeah
Hey hey
All right
See the girl with the red dress on
She can do the Birdland all night long, yeah yeah
What'd I say?
All right
Well, tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say
And I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know right now
And I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know right now, yeah
And I wanna know
Baby I wanna know, yeah
Come and love your daddy all night long, all right now
Hey hey
All right
See the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing, all right now, now
Hey hey
Hey hey
Tell your mama, tell your pa
I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas, oh yes m'am
You don't do right
Don't do right
Oh, play it boy
When you see me in misery
Come on baby, see about me now, yeah
Hey hey
All right
See the girl with the red dress on
She can do the Birdland all night long, yeah yeah
What'd I say?
All right
Well, tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say
Tell me what'd I say
And I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know right now
And I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know right now, yeah
And I wanna know
Baby I wanna know, yeah
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
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Believe what you want. After all, RS is an absolutely unimpeachable source, right? Turns out that what I read said that the entire song wasn't the result of one concert but was worked on over the course of an entire tour. So, no, the song you hear on the CD was not made in its entirety in one night; it was in fact edited and added to over the course of a tour.
First of all I can't fucking believe that there is only 10 comments on this song. Maybe people are so busy listening to crap like pussy cat dolls. I really miss good music and good musicians. These knew kids can hardly even play a damn cord on guitar when this man is playing the hell of a piano. Songs like this rocks the hell outta recent crap music. Viva for Ray. May he rest in peace.
Why am i the first person to post on this?!?!? Anyways, Ray Charles is a fucking god. I heard that at some show, he had 11 m,inutes to fill, and he just looked at his band and said "Um...follow me."
I have to agree... he is amazing. I just saw the movie on him, and it was great, just great. We did a fieldshow with his music when I was a freshman in High School, and I remember it perfectly. What an amazing musician.
I just saw the movie. Is it true that he just made it up on the spot? If so, that is fucking amazing.
It's true, this was all improvised. That just sums up what a genuis this man was.
Actually, it's been stated in numerous interviews with the director, actors, etc., that it was just artistic license in the movie that this song was improvised on the spot and that it didn't come about that way. Regardless, the man was still a genius.
I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know about what it has to say, but I read at Rolling Stone that it was improvised. And they probably wouldn't like just because it was improvised in the movie. I believe it.
rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/6595855/sort/rank
I remember this song being mentioned in my Rock and Roll History textbook, and they had the meanings behind both parts in there. I think they said part one was about him trying to impress a girl, and part two was about people going out dancing and having a good time. Or maybe it was the other way around... it's been a while. Regardless of the meaning, it's a great song that only Ray Charles could do right.
Ahem ... except for Etta James. I love this song. I think it's very cheeky.
best song by the best blind musician in my opinion. great movie too