"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.
Fixing up a car to drive in it again
Searching for the water, hoping for the rain
Up and up
Up and up
Down upon the canvas, working meal to meal
Waiting for a chance to pick on your orange field
Up and up
Up and up
See a pearl form, a diamond in the rough
See a bird soaring high above the flood
It's in your blood
It's in your blood
Underneath the storm an umbrella is saying
Sitting with the poison takes away the pain
Up and up
Up and up, it's saying
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
Up and up and up
Lying in the gutter, aiming for the moon
Trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon
Up and up
Up and up
How come people suffer, how come people part?
How come people struggle
How come people break your heart?
Break your heart, oh
Yes I wanna grow, yes I wanna feel
Yes I wanna know
Show me how to heal it up
Heal it up
Oh, see the forest there in every seed
Angels in the marble waiting to be freed
Just need love, just need love
When the going is rough, saying
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
And you can say what is, or fight for it
Close your mind and take a risk
You can say "It's mine" and clench your fist
Or see each sunrise as a gift
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
Up and up and up
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
Up and up and up
Fixing up a car to drive in it again
When you're in pain
When you think you've had enough
Don't ever give up
Don't ever give up
Searching for the water, hoping for the rain
Up and up
Up and up
Down upon the canvas, working meal to meal
Waiting for a chance to pick on your orange field
Up and up
Up and up
See a pearl form, a diamond in the rough
See a bird soaring high above the flood
It's in your blood
It's in your blood
Underneath the storm an umbrella is saying
Sitting with the poison takes away the pain
Up and up
Up and up, it's saying
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
Up and up and up
Lying in the gutter, aiming for the moon
Trying to empty out the ocean with a spoon
Up and up
Up and up
How come people suffer, how come people part?
How come people struggle
How come people break your heart?
Break your heart, oh
Yes I wanna grow, yes I wanna feel
Yes I wanna know
Show me how to heal it up
Heal it up
Oh, see the forest there in every seed
Angels in the marble waiting to be freed
Just need love, just need love
When the going is rough, saying
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
And you can say what is, or fight for it
Close your mind and take a risk
You can say "It's mine" and clench your fist
Or see each sunrise as a gift
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
Up and up and up
We're gonna get it, get it together right now
Gonna get it, get it together somehow
Gonna get it, get it together and flower
Whoa
We're gonna get it, get it together I know
Gonna get it, get it together and flow
Gonna get it, get it together and go
Up and up and up
Fixing up a car to drive in it again
When you're in pain
When you think you've had enough
Don't ever give up
Don't ever give up
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher, edited by AnnaSeale, hylianhero33
Up & Up Lyrics as written by Tor Hermansen Mikkel Eriksen
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I came across the meaning in here skywardmagazine.com/2016/05/song-meaning-coldplay-up-and-up.html it was awesome.