"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.
How could you know, how could you know?
That those were my eyes
Peepin' through the floor, it's like they know
It's like they know I'm looking from the outside
And creeping to the door, it's like they know
And now they coming, yeah, now they coming
Out from the shadows
To take me to the court because they know,
That I shut this down, 'cause they been watching all my windows
They gathered up the warrant, 'cause they--
You understand, they got a plan for us
I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
It must be fate, I found a place for us
I bet you didn't know someone could love you this much
How could they know, how could they know
What I've been thinking?
But they're right inside my head because they know
Because they know, what I've been hidin'
They're right under my bed, they're in control
Here they come, yeah here they come
Out of the shadows
To take me to the court because they know
That I shut this down, 'cause they been watching all my windows
They gathered up the warrant 'cause they--
I've gotta get out of here
Sink down, into the dark
(Keep on running)
I've gotta get out of here
(keep on running)
Sink down, into the dark
You understand, they got a plan for us
I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
It must be fate, I found a place for us
I bet you didn't know someone could love you this much
Nobody's listening when we're alone
Nobody's listening, there's nobody listening,
No one can hear us when we're alone
No one can hear us, no, no one can hear us
And I've gotta get out of here
Sink down, into the dark
(Keep on running)
I've gotta get out of here
(Keep on running)
Sink down, into the dark
You understand, they got a plan for us
I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
It must be fate, I found a place for us
I bet you didn't know someone could love you this much
That those were my eyes
Peepin' through the floor, it's like they know
It's like they know I'm looking from the outside
And creeping to the door, it's like they know
And now they coming, yeah, now they coming
Out from the shadows
To take me to the court because they know,
That I shut this down, 'cause they been watching all my windows
They gathered up the warrant, 'cause they--
You understand, they got a plan for us
I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
It must be fate, I found a place for us
I bet you didn't know someone could love you this much
How could they know, how could they know
What I've been thinking?
But they're right inside my head because they know
Because they know, what I've been hidin'
They're right under my bed, they're in control
Here they come, yeah here they come
Out of the shadows
To take me to the court because they know
That I shut this down, 'cause they been watching all my windows
They gathered up the warrant 'cause they--
I've gotta get out of here
Sink down, into the dark
(Keep on running)
I've gotta get out of here
(keep on running)
Sink down, into the dark
You understand, they got a plan for us
I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
It must be fate, I found a place for us
I bet you didn't know someone could love you this much
Nobody's listening when we're alone
Nobody's listening, there's nobody listening,
No one can hear us when we're alone
No one can hear us, no, no one can hear us
And I've gotta get out of here
Sink down, into the dark
(Keep on running)
I've gotta get out of here
(Keep on running)
Sink down, into the dark
You understand, they got a plan for us
I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous
It must be fate, I found a place for us
I bet you didn't know someone could love you this much
Lyrics submitted by Paul123456, edited by Alturrang, WizardLizard
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
Incredibly catchy. Lyrics are repetitive and paranoia-laced though. The lyrics are probably about a man who just wants to get away from everyone except his lover. "Windows" and "Wall" may have to do with privacy-invading social media sites like Facebook.
It sounds like it's about paparazzi ("Oh now they're coming, now they're coming to take me out of the shadows, to take me to the club because they know I shut it down"), and about relationships where people get spied on by others who tease them about being in love.
Seeing as Big Data is based on the theme of distrust for technology, the internet, the cloud, etc. and man's relationship to it, this song also clearly follows this theme. It's about someone's paranoia about his privacy from his owned technological devices, "How could they know? How could they know?" shows this as it seems like a paranoia-induced panic, highlighted by it's repetition. It later expresses the said paranoia from the lyrics, "sink down into the dark" suggesting it's reached a point where the man has turned off his devices so there is no way he can be watched. (I should express that these are the meanings of the song, as said by Alan Wilkis himself, though I've added some own interpretations of some lyrics)
The song is definitely about spying, especially government spying, on what people are doing/saying over the phone/looking up on the internet.