"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.
Tell me why baby, why baby, why baby why
You make me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry
Well, I got a crow I wanna pick with you
Just like last time when the feathers flew
You're runnin' wild a-kickin' up your heels
A-leavin' me home with a hand full of bills
I can't live without you and you know it's true
But there's no livin' with you so what'll I do
I'm goin' honky tonkin', getting' tight as I can
And maybe by then you'll 'preciate a good man
Tell me why baby, why baby, why baby why
You made me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry
I can't live without you till the day that I die
--- Instrumental ---
Girl, now I don't know, but I've heard say
That ever' little dog is a-gonna have his day
You'd better pay attention, don't you dare forget
'Cause I'm just a little bitty puppy yet
I caught you honky tonkin' with my best friend
The thing to do was leave you, but I should'a left then
Now I'm too old to leave you, but I still get sore
When you come home a-feelin' for the knob on the door
Well, tell me why baby, why baby, why baby why
You make me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry
I live without you 'til the day that I die
So tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why...
Tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why...
You make me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry
Well, I got a crow I wanna pick with you
Just like last time when the feathers flew
You're runnin' wild a-kickin' up your heels
A-leavin' me home with a hand full of bills
I can't live without you and you know it's true
But there's no livin' with you so what'll I do
I'm goin' honky tonkin', getting' tight as I can
And maybe by then you'll 'preciate a good man
Tell me why baby, why baby, why baby why
You made me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry
I can't live without you till the day that I die
--- Instrumental ---
Girl, now I don't know, but I've heard say
That ever' little dog is a-gonna have his day
You'd better pay attention, don't you dare forget
'Cause I'm just a little bitty puppy yet
I caught you honky tonkin' with my best friend
The thing to do was leave you, but I should'a left then
Now I'm too old to leave you, but I still get sore
When you come home a-feelin' for the knob on the door
Well, tell me why baby, why baby, why baby why
You make me cry baby, cry baby, cry baby cry
I live without you 'til the day that I die
So tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why...
Tell me, why baby, why baby, why baby why...
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Why Baby Why Lyrics as written by George Jones Darrell Edwards
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Exploration Group LLC
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
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.