"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.
Don't you get ahead of me
And I won't leave you behind
If you get unhappy
Show me a sign
There's no love like lost love
No pain like a broken heart
There's no love like you and me
And no loss like us apart
Promises promise is
Only a word
And when softly spoken
Is never heard
And a heart
Is not a stone
And is fragile
When alone
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
My care for you
Is from the ground up to the sky
It's over under up above
Down below and to the side
No use in pretending
No use in saving face
My love is never ending
You are my saving grace
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
And I won't leave you behind
If you get unhappy
Show me a sign
There's no love like lost love
No pain like a broken heart
There's no love like you and me
And no loss like us apart
Promises promise is
Only a word
And when softly spoken
Is never heard
And a heart
Is not a stone
And is fragile
When alone
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
My care for you
Is from the ground up to the sky
It's over under up above
Down below and to the side
No use in pretending
No use in saving face
My love is never ending
You are my saving grace
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
By my side
By my side
Won't you be by my side
Lyrics submitted by dragonflower44
By My Side Lyrics as written by Ben C Harper
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
aw this song is just so great. it speaks for itself definitely.. ben has amazing talent