"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.
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And I turned it off
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And it hurt my eyes
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And I turned it off
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
So how come when you say,
"I want to live for that time next year",
You don’t?
And how come when you say,
"I want to die by that time next year",
You don’t?
You don't
How could anything be worth this?
How could anything be worthless?
How could anything be worth this?
How could anything be worthless?
How could anything be worth this?
And this is why, why you always run
You know it's why, why you always run away, I can't explain
This is why, why you always run
You know it's why, why you always run away, I can't explain
I saw the light and then it burned my eyes out
Nothing is wrong until you find yourself out
Wrong all along
I saw the light and then it burned my eyes out
Nothing is wrong until you find yourself out
Wrong all along
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And I turned it off
And I turned it off
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And it hurt my eyes
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And I turned it off
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
So how come when you say,
"I want to live for that time next year",
You don’t?
And how come when you say,
"I want to die by that time next year",
You don’t?
You don't
How could anything be worth this?
How could anything be worthless?
How could anything be worth this?
How could anything be worthless?
How could anything be worth this?
And this is why, why you always run
You know it's why, why you always run away, I can't explain
This is why, why you always run
You know it's why, why you always run away, I can't explain
I saw the light and then it burned my eyes out
Nothing is wrong until you find yourself out
Wrong all along
I saw the light and then it burned my eyes out
Nothing is wrong until you find yourself out
Wrong all along
I saw the light, I saw the light, I saw the light
And I turned it off
Lyrics submitted by JMWalz
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.