"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.
We were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
And I thought, "Wow
If I could take this in a shot right now
I don't think that we could work this out"
Out on the terrace
I don't know if it's fair but I thought "How
Could I let you fall by yourself
While I'm wasted with someone else"
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
You look so proud
Standing there with a frown and a cigarette
Posting pictures of yourself on the internet
Out on the terrace
We breathe in the air of this small town
On our own cuttin' class for the thrill of it
Getting drunk on the past we were livin' in
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are better
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
If we go down
Let's show them we are better
If we go down
Let's show them we are better
If we go down
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
To get away from your parents
And I thought, "Wow
If I could take this in a shot right now
I don't think that we could work this out"
Out on the terrace
I don't know if it's fair but I thought "How
Could I let you fall by yourself
While I'm wasted with someone else"
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris
To get away from your parents
You look so proud
Standing there with a frown and a cigarette
Posting pictures of yourself on the internet
Out on the terrace
We breathe in the air of this small town
On our own cuttin' class for the thrill of it
Getting drunk on the past we were livin' in
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are
Show them we are
Let's show them we are better
If we go down then we go down together
They'll say you could do anything
They'll say that I was clever
If we go down then we go down together
We'll get away with everything
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
We were staying in Paris (if we go down)
Let's show them we are better
We were staying in Paris
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
If we go down
Let's show them we are better
If we go down
Let's show them we are better
If we go down
Let's show them we are better
Let's show them we are better
Lyrics submitted by wjacobs777
Paris Lyrics as written by Fredrik Haeggstam Andrew Taggart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
The chainsmokers describe this song as "a sentimental yearning for a reality that isn't genuine" and "an irrecoverable for fantasy that evokes nostalgia or day dreams". In an interview drew explains that this song is about a friend of his who was a drug addict and he was writing it from his perspective. To me this song is yes, about a man who has a girlfriend who both are drowning in the consequences of addiction, but to anyone, a situation that is so bad that you yearn for a happier reality. This song can be interpreted in many different ways