"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.
We're taking the long way home
Taking the long way home
Take me back to the middle of nowhere
Back to the place only you and I share
Remember all the memories?
The fireflies and make-believe
Kicking back in the old school yard
Singing songs on our guitars
This is our reality
Crazy stupid, you and me
We know this is the way it's supposed to be
So we're taking the long way home
'Cause I don't wanna be wasting my time alone
I wanna get lost and drive forever with you
Talkin' bout nothing, yeah, whatever, baby
So we're taking the long way home tonight
We're taking the long way home
We're taking the long way home
Taking the long way home
Now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere
Yeah, you know we took our time to get there
We're hiding out in a dream
Catching fire like kerosene
And you know I'd never let you down
'Til the sun comes up, we can own this town
Something like make-believe
Living in a movie scene
I know this is the way it's supposed to be
So we're taking the long way home
'Cause I don't wanna be wasting my time alone
I wanna get lost and drive forever with you
Talkin' bout nothing, yeah, whatever, baby
So we're taking the long way home
Hitting every red light
Kissing at the stop signs, darling
Green Day's on the radio
And everything is alright
Now we're turning off the headlights, darling
We're just taking it slow
So we're taking the long way home
'Cause I don't wanna be wasting my time alone
I wanna get lost and drive forever with you
Talkin' bout nothing, yeah, whatever, baby
So we're taking the long way home
Hitting every red light
Kissing at the stop signs, darling
Green Day's on the radio
And everything is alright
Now we're turning off the headlights, darling
We're just taking it slow
We're taking the long way home
We're taking the long way home
We're taking the long way home
Taking the long way home
Take me back to the middle of nowhere
Back to the place only you and I share
Remember all the memories?
The fireflies and make-believe
Kicking back in the old school yard
Singing songs on our guitars
This is our reality
Crazy stupid, you and me
We know this is the way it's supposed to be
So we're taking the long way home
'Cause I don't wanna be wasting my time alone
I wanna get lost and drive forever with you
Talkin' bout nothing, yeah, whatever, baby
So we're taking the long way home tonight
We're taking the long way home
We're taking the long way home
Taking the long way home
Now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere
Yeah, you know we took our time to get there
We're hiding out in a dream
Catching fire like kerosene
And you know I'd never let you down
'Til the sun comes up, we can own this town
Something like make-believe
Living in a movie scene
I know this is the way it's supposed to be
So we're taking the long way home
'Cause I don't wanna be wasting my time alone
I wanna get lost and drive forever with you
Talkin' bout nothing, yeah, whatever, baby
So we're taking the long way home
Hitting every red light
Kissing at the stop signs, darling
Green Day's on the radio
And everything is alright
Now we're turning off the headlights, darling
We're just taking it slow
So we're taking the long way home
'Cause I don't wanna be wasting my time alone
I wanna get lost and drive forever with you
Talkin' bout nothing, yeah, whatever, baby
So we're taking the long way home
Hitting every red light
Kissing at the stop signs, darling
Green Day's on the radio
And everything is alright
Now we're turning off the headlights, darling
We're just taking it slow
We're taking the long way home
We're taking the long way home
We're taking the long way home
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
This song is about wanting to spending every last minute with that one person and remembering the good times before you leave off to somewhere. That's why they are taking the "long way home".
I guess this song is about just having teenage easy fun with someone you love. Like a sort of "carpe diem", living the moment, but not doing anything in particular. Simply a journey going home taking the longest way, laughing, remembering the old times and singing along to a Green Day song on the radio.