"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.
Hey you
Is there something worth aspiring to
And can it be found in a record store
Well it's not there anymore
Just think of all the things we did
We were different
Just like all the other kids
Missy was a teen blue video star
Tom took his life in his mother's car
Milo went to college but you knew about that
Rodney played our record
GG started riots
Laurie was always quiet
She was battling depression
Hey you
Is there something worth belonging to
And can I pick it up for a song
Or a diploma or a worthy cause
Well let me tell you that there's nothing wrong
It's just that ones like us will never belong
Jack wore a skirt but he knew how to scrap
Billy went to county on a class one possession
Wendy went to school while her daddy shot smack
Eugene kept a list
Mugger was security
Mary she kept her purity
We were all in it together
Yellowed postcards on the wall
Serve to cover up a blankness after all
So I will carry them along
Like a song when I'm gone yeah
Hey you
Is there something worth belonging to
You know we've been here all along
Like a confederacy of the wrong
And I confess it could be prejudice
But to you I dedicate this song
Yeah to you
Is there something worth aspiring to
And can it be found in a record store
Well it's not there anymore
Just think of all the things we did
We were different
Just like all the other kids
Missy was a teen blue video star
Tom took his life in his mother's car
Milo went to college but you knew about that
Rodney played our record
GG started riots
Laurie was always quiet
She was battling depression
Hey you
Is there something worth belonging to
And can I pick it up for a song
Or a diploma or a worthy cause
Well let me tell you that there's nothing wrong
It's just that ones like us will never belong
Jack wore a skirt but he knew how to scrap
Billy went to county on a class one possession
Wendy went to school while her daddy shot smack
Eugene kept a list
Mugger was security
Mary she kept her purity
We were all in it together
Yellowed postcards on the wall
Serve to cover up a blankness after all
So I will carry them along
Like a song when I'm gone yeah
Hey you
Is there something worth belonging to
You know we've been here all along
Like a confederacy of the wrong
And I confess it could be prejudice
But to you I dedicate this song
Yeah to you
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Fast Car
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The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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Magical
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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.
Yes, I love the part that goes, "It's just that ones like us, will never belong" Everyone feel slike they don't belong sometimes. This song is great.