"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.
I said, "Oh my, what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight
Like we're made of starlight
I met Bobby on the boardwalk summer of '45
Picked me up late one night out the window
We were seventeen and crazy running wild, wild
Can't remember what song he was playing when we walked in
The night we snuck into a yacht club party
Pretending to be a duchess and a prince
And I said, "Oh my, what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
He said, "Look at you, worrying so much about things you can't change
You'll spend your whole life singing the blues
If you keep thinking that way"
He was tryna to skip rocks on the ocean saying to me
"Don't you see the starlight, starlight
Don't you dream impossible things"
Like, "Oh my, what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Ooh, ooh he's talking crazy
Ooh, ooh dancing with me
Ooh, ooh we could get married
Have ten kids and teach 'em how to dream
(Huh-huh-huh)
(Huh-huh-huh)
(Huh-huh-huh)
(Huh-huh-huh)
"Oh, my what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we dream impossible dreams
Like starlight, starlight
Like we dream impossible dreams
Don't you see the starlight, starlight
Don't you dream impossible things
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight
Like we're made of starlight
I met Bobby on the boardwalk summer of '45
Picked me up late one night out the window
We were seventeen and crazy running wild, wild
Can't remember what song he was playing when we walked in
The night we snuck into a yacht club party
Pretending to be a duchess and a prince
And I said, "Oh my, what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
He said, "Look at you, worrying so much about things you can't change
You'll spend your whole life singing the blues
If you keep thinking that way"
He was tryna to skip rocks on the ocean saying to me
"Don't you see the starlight, starlight
Don't you dream impossible things"
Like, "Oh my, what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Ooh, ooh he's talking crazy
Ooh, ooh dancing with me
Ooh, ooh we could get married
Have ten kids and teach 'em how to dream
(Huh-huh-huh)
(Huh-huh-huh)
(Huh-huh-huh)
(Huh-huh-huh)
"Oh, my what a marvelous tune"
It was the best night, never would forget how we moved
The whole place
Was dressed to the nines
And we were dancing, dancing
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we're made of starlight, starlight
Like we dream impossible dreams
Like starlight, starlight
Like we dream impossible dreams
Don't you see the starlight, starlight
Don't you dream impossible things
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by thrwmyhrtawy., AllTooWell
Starlight Lyrics as written by Taylor Alison Swift
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
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.
I love how old-timey this song sounds. It takes you back.