"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.
There's a humming in the restless summer air
And we're slipping off the course that we prepared
But in all chaos, there is calculation
Dropping glasses just to hear them break
You've been drinking like the world was gonna end (it didn't)
Took a shiner from the fist of your best friend (go figure)
It's clear that someone's gotta go
We mean it, but I promise we're not mean
And the cry goes out (ha)
They lose their minds for us, and how it plays out (ha)
Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood
(Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But we're the gladiators (Oh! Oh!)
Everyone a rager (oh-oh)
But secretly they're saviors
Glory and gore go hand in hand
That's why we're making headlines (Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But victory's contagious
Delicate in every way but one (the swordplay)
God knows we like archaic kinds of fun (the old way)
Chance is the only game I play with, baby
We let our battles choose us
And the cry goes out (ha oh)
They lose their minds for us and how it plays out (ha oh)
Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood
(Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But we're the gladiators (Oh! Oh!)
Everyone a rager (oh-oh)
But secretly they're saviors
Glory and gore go hand in hand
That's why we're making headlines (Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But victory's contagious
No-one 'round here's good at keeping their eyes closed
The sun's starting to light up when we're walking home
Tired little laughs, gold lie promises,
We'll always win at this, I don't ever think about death
It's alright if you do, it's fine
We gladiate but I guess we're really fighting ourselves
Roughing up our minds so we're ready when the kill time comes
Wide awake in bed, words in my brain,
"Secretly you love this, do you even wanna go free?"
Let me in the ring, I'll show you what that big word means
(Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But we're the gladiators (Oh! Oh!)
Everyone a rager (oh-oh)
But secretly they're saviors
Glory and gore go hand in hand
That's why we're making headlines (Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But victory's contagious
And we're slipping off the course that we prepared
But in all chaos, there is calculation
Dropping glasses just to hear them break
You've been drinking like the world was gonna end (it didn't)
Took a shiner from the fist of your best friend (go figure)
It's clear that someone's gotta go
We mean it, but I promise we're not mean
And the cry goes out (ha)
They lose their minds for us, and how it plays out (ha)
Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood
(Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But we're the gladiators (Oh! Oh!)
Everyone a rager (oh-oh)
But secretly they're saviors
Glory and gore go hand in hand
That's why we're making headlines (Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But victory's contagious
Delicate in every way but one (the swordplay)
God knows we like archaic kinds of fun (the old way)
Chance is the only game I play with, baby
We let our battles choose us
And the cry goes out (ha oh)
They lose their minds for us and how it plays out (ha oh)
Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood
(Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But we're the gladiators (Oh! Oh!)
Everyone a rager (oh-oh)
But secretly they're saviors
Glory and gore go hand in hand
That's why we're making headlines (Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But victory's contagious
No-one 'round here's good at keeping their eyes closed
The sun's starting to light up when we're walking home
Tired little laughs, gold lie promises,
We'll always win at this, I don't ever think about death
It's alright if you do, it's fine
We gladiate but I guess we're really fighting ourselves
Roughing up our minds so we're ready when the kill time comes
Wide awake in bed, words in my brain,
"Secretly you love this, do you even wanna go free?"
Let me in the ring, I'll show you what that big word means
(Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But we're the gladiators (Oh! Oh!)
Everyone a rager (oh-oh)
But secretly they're saviors
Glory and gore go hand in hand
That's why we're making headlines (Oh! Oh!)
You could try and take us (oh-oh)
But victory's contagious
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I think I understand most of the song, but I don't get the meaning of "I'll show you what that big word means".
She'll show you what it means to be ''free''. I think.
The word she's referring to is "free". This person wants freedom and thinks that they know what freedom is, but she'll show them what freedom really means, how it actually feels to truly be free. Being a short, four-letter-word, "free" clearly is not a big word in size, but it is in meaning, and that's why she says it this way, in an almost condescending tone, as if this individual doesn't understand the true definition of the word, having never experienced it and only thinking that they know what it means to be completely free.
I feel she's totally referring to 'Free' or 'Freedom" if you will. She'll/they'll fight for their freedom and are willing to die for it. She never thinks about death, only freedom. Death is welcomed, because only in death is there freedom. They aren't a clique or a mean peoples. They let their battles choose them, however, they'll do whatever it takes to survive. Mental preparation for war. Gladiator style or 21st century style. It's a war cry... of the utmost awesomeness.
She's going in the ring to GLADIATE (that's the big word). How do you go into a ring and be 'free'?