"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 sky is black, billy feels bad
Today he thinks that he'd be better off dead
He hears the pain roaring in his head
He'll close his eyes and the world turns red
Her name was hope her hair was blacker than the sky
She had a smile that made the devil cry
She held is hands, looked him in the eye
She said "believe, believe and everything will be fine."
Everything will be all right
Today's the day, you can bet on that
I heard her close the door, she ain't looking back
A twist of fate or a stroke of luck
Well, the answer's over there beyond the wishing well
Everything will be all right
Take the fire in your hands
And place it at her feet
Walk upon the mountain
Then you'll sail across the sea
Her eyes are taken from the stars above,
Her voice is five hearts breaking
Her voice is five hearts breaking
Her voice is five hearts breaking
The skies are fire and he's waiting to die
And his heart's as empty as a dead man's eyes
She held his hands, looked him in the eye
She said "believe, believe and everything will be fine."
Everything will be all right
Everything will be all right
Everything will be all right
Today he thinks that he'd be better off dead
He hears the pain roaring in his head
He'll close his eyes and the world turns red
Her name was hope her hair was blacker than the sky
She had a smile that made the devil cry
She held is hands, looked him in the eye
She said "believe, believe and everything will be fine."
Everything will be all right
Today's the day, you can bet on that
I heard her close the door, she ain't looking back
A twist of fate or a stroke of luck
Well, the answer's over there beyond the wishing well
Everything will be all right
Take the fire in your hands
And place it at her feet
Walk upon the mountain
Then you'll sail across the sea
Her eyes are taken from the stars above,
Her voice is five hearts breaking
Her voice is five hearts breaking
Her voice is five hearts breaking
The skies are fire and he's waiting to die
And his heart's as empty as a dead man's eyes
She held his hands, looked him in the eye
She said "believe, believe and everything will be fine."
Everything will be all right
Everything will be all right
Everything will be all right
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Five Hearts Breaking Lyrics as written by Alejandro Escovedo
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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”
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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.