"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.
Deep and slow, but that's how it goes
If anyone asks, yeah I already know
Cause I got this pain in my chest
Every time I swim to consciousness
And I misspelled every word perfectly
Every mistake made was purposely
And my head is pounding to the beat of my heart
You are a broken heart tattoo
I'll have forever on my chest
For a love that I have lost
But never could forget
Say what you have to say
Try not to cry
This is just not what you wanted
At this point in your life
It's so hard to stay
When all you want to do is ride
I totally get you, I was a birdcage
And you were meant to fly
You are a broken heart tattoo
I'll have forever on my chest
For a love that I have lost
But never will forget
I shook 'til I came out of it
Let's sit down, we'll sit down proud
We'll sit down proud
We'll sit down
Nothing matters, the importance of nothing
That's what you taught me
While I was barely listening
Nothing matters, the importance of nothing
Nothing matters, nothing matters
If anyone asks, yeah I already know
Cause I got this pain in my chest
Every time I swim to consciousness
And I misspelled every word perfectly
Every mistake made was purposely
And my head is pounding to the beat of my heart
You are a broken heart tattoo
I'll have forever on my chest
For a love that I have lost
But never could forget
Say what you have to say
Try not to cry
This is just not what you wanted
At this point in your life
It's so hard to stay
When all you want to do is ride
I totally get you, I was a birdcage
And you were meant to fly
You are a broken heart tattoo
I'll have forever on my chest
For a love that I have lost
But never will forget
I shook 'til I came out of it
Let's sit down, we'll sit down proud
We'll sit down proud
We'll sit down
Nothing matters, the importance of nothing
That's what you taught me
While I was barely listening
Nothing matters, the importance of nothing
Nothing matters, nothing matters
Lyrics submitted by DarkwingDan
Wolfman Lyrics as written by Mat Uychich Brian Sella
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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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.
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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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I just cannot believe that I'm the only one so far to comment on such a fantastically wonderful song! With that being said, I use the line, "You are a broken heart tattoo, I'll have forever on my chest, For a love that I have lost, But never will forget." on a regular basis. It's just so amazing! The symbolism here is outstanding. The tattoo will be forever on his chest, but it's just any tattoo it's a broken heart tattoo that maybe the character got after breaking it off...? But the thing is that it represents the next line, of for a love that I have lost (broken heart) but never will forget (tattoo). I don't know maybe I'm just being WAAAY to over the top in love with these couple of lines.