"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.
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
In the same night
There's ball caps, photographs, dollar bills, and bras
License plates from every state nailed up to the wall
Spring breakers, heart breakers, already getting loud
Talledega's on the big screen, don't it make you proud?
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
Can't say I got a whole lot of cares
I'm in the red neck Riviera
It's getting crazy, getting hammered
Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
At the Flora-Bama
There's high tide, low tide, years of history
Hurricanes with different names that almost took the beach
A sign that says "live your life" just for inspiration
Gonna raise a lot of hell tonight in the, in the no shoes nation
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
Can't say I got a whole lot of cares
I'm in the red neck Riviera
It's getting crazy, getting hammered
Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
At the Flora-Bama
Got your Who Dat, go Vols, roll tide and the Seminoles
Bulldogs, war eagle, green eyed gator that's barely legal
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
Can't say I got a whole lot of cares
I'm in the red neck Riviera
It's getting crazy, getting hammered
Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
At the Flora-Bama
Don't it feel good?
Don't it feel good?
Yeah, don't it feel good? (Feel good)
At the Flora-Bama
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
In the same night
There's ball caps, photographs, dollar bills, and bras
License plates from every state nailed up to the wall
Spring breakers, heart breakers, already getting loud
Talledega's on the big screen, don't it make you proud?
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
Can't say I got a whole lot of cares
I'm in the red neck Riviera
It's getting crazy, getting hammered
Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
At the Flora-Bama
There's high tide, low tide, years of history
Hurricanes with different names that almost took the beach
A sign that says "live your life" just for inspiration
Gonna raise a lot of hell tonight in the, in the no shoes nation
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
Can't say I got a whole lot of cares
I'm in the red neck Riviera
It's getting crazy, getting hammered
Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
At the Flora-Bama
Got your Who Dat, go Vols, roll tide and the Seminoles
Bulldogs, war eagle, green eyed gator that's barely legal
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
'Bout to open up a big old can of
Good times, unwind
Fall in and out of love in the same night
Can't say I got a whole lot of cares
I'm in the red neck Riviera
It's getting crazy, getting hammered
Sitting right here at the Flora-Bama
At the Flora-Bama
Don't it feel good?
Don't it feel good?
Yeah, don't it feel good? (Feel good)
At the Flora-Bama
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
Sitting here at the Flora-Bama
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
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.
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.
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.
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.