"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.
[Verse 1]
Sick of all these things I tried
Sick of all these lies
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Wake me from my darkest dream
Read me from my mind
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
No problem I’ve got time to kill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Slave everyone
I’ve had my fill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
[Pre-Chorus]
Do what you say, Do want you want to (4x)
[Chorus]
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
[Verse 2]
Throw a wrench into my world
Throw me in the fire
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Death come over to me one time
We should get much higher
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
No problem I’ve got time to kill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Slave everyone I’ve got my fill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
[Pre-Chorus]
Do what you say, Do want you want to (4x)
[Chorus]
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
[Bridge]
Don’t get close to me
Safe for you
All this suffering left to do
Don’t get close to me
Safe for you
All this suffering left to do
All this suffering left to do
All this suffering left to do
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
[Chorus]
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
Sick of all these things I tried
Sick of all these lies
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Wake me from my darkest dream
Read me from my mind
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
No problem I’ve got time to kill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Slave everyone
I’ve had my fill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
[Pre-Chorus]
Do what you say, Do want you want to (4x)
[Chorus]
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
[Verse 2]
Throw a wrench into my world
Throw me in the fire
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Death come over to me one time
We should get much higher
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
No problem I’ve got time to kill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
Slave everyone I’ve got my fill
(Nobody cares you’re just a bad man
Nobody wants you’re a dead man)
[Pre-Chorus]
Do what you say, Do want you want to (4x)
[Chorus]
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
[Bridge]
Don’t get close to me
Safe for you
All this suffering left to do
Don’t get close to me
Safe for you
All this suffering left to do
All this suffering left to do
All this suffering left to do
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
[Chorus]
We rip upon the flesh and lift to see
And looking on all the faces along the way
The terror grips me closely and holds me tight
And hope I get to
Die Yet Another Night
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.