"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.
Yeah, you could be the greatest
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest
You could beat the world
You could beat the war
You could talk to God, go banging on his door
You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself
Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
You could go the distance
You could run the mile
You could walk straight through hell with a smile
You could be the hero
You could get the gold
Breaking all the records that thought, never could be broke
Do it for your people
Do it for your pride
How you ever gonna know if you never even try?
Do it for your country
Do it for you name
'Cause there's gonna be a day
When your, standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
Be a champion, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion
On the walls of the hall of fame
Be students, be teachers
Be politicians, be preachers
Be believers, be leaders
Be astronauts Be champions
Be truth seekers
Be students, be teachers
Be politicians, be preachers
Be believers, be leaders
Be astronauts, be champions
Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
(You can be a champion) You could be the greatest, you can be the best
(You can be a champion)You can be the King Kong banging on your chest
You could beat the world (you can be a champion)
You could beat the war (you can be a champion)
You could talk to God, go banging on his door (you can be a champion)
You can throw your hands up (you can be a champion)
You can beat the clock (you can be a champion)
You can move a mountain (you can be a champion)
You can break rocks (you can be a champion)
You can be a master (you can be a champion)
Don't wait for luck (you can be a champion)
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself (you can be a champion)
Standing in the hall of fame (you can be a champion)
You can be the best
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest
You could beat the world
You could beat the war
You could talk to God, go banging on his door
You can throw your hands up
You can beat the clock
You can move a mountain
You can break rocks
You can be a master
Don't wait for luck
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself
Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
You could go the distance
You could run the mile
You could walk straight through hell with a smile
You could be the hero
You could get the gold
Breaking all the records that thought, never could be broke
Do it for your people
Do it for your pride
How you ever gonna know if you never even try?
Do it for your country
Do it for you name
'Cause there's gonna be a day
When your, standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
Be a champion, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion
On the walls of the hall of fame
Be students, be teachers
Be politicians, be preachers
Be believers, be leaders
Be astronauts Be champions
Be truth seekers
Be students, be teachers
Be politicians, be preachers
Be believers, be leaders
Be astronauts, be champions
Standing in the hall of fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame
And the world's gonna know your name
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame
(You can be a champion) You could be the greatest, you can be the best
(You can be a champion)You can be the King Kong banging on your chest
You could beat the world (you can be a champion)
You could beat the war (you can be a champion)
You could talk to God, go banging on his door (you can be a champion)
You can throw your hands up (you can be a champion)
You can beat the clock (you can be a champion)
You can move a mountain (you can be a champion)
You can break rocks (you can be a champion)
You can be a master (you can be a champion)
Don't wait for luck (you can be a champion)
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself (you can be a champion)
Standing in the hall of fame (you can be a champion)
Lyrics submitted by hplssrmantcxox, edited by chrissybob
Hall of Fame Lyrics as written by James Barry Daniel O'donoghue
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I think this song is saying that you can accomplish almost anything if you believe you can.