"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.
Still want you with everything you've made me do
You almost taste like hate and I can't stay away
Self destruction, no pain
Character reduction, slow fade
Lazy reflex, no feeling
Hand to mouth, tightly bound
Remember when we met seemed so innocent
But I was different then now I know how the story ends
[Chorus]
I'm the one with the unreached goals
Never thought I could sink so low
I believed everything I was told
Save me from the undertow
Big on suckers bets placed my soul in debt
Looks like from where I'm at there's no coming back
[Chorus]
You almost taste like hate and I can't stay away
Self destruction, no pain
Character reduction, slow fade
Lazy reflex, no feeling
Hand to mouth, tightly bound
Remember when we met seemed so innocent
But I was different then now I know how the story ends
[Chorus]
I'm the one with the unreached goals
Never thought I could sink so low
I believed everything I was told
Save me from the undertow
Big on suckers bets placed my soul in debt
Looks like from where I'm at there's no coming back
[Chorus]
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
girlfriend treated him like crap, he just shied it away, kinda like sunshine(Samiam's best?) That's the first verse Now he's older and he realized his wife is a bitch that's what's with unreached goals and undertow , and the reason he knows why the story ends is because he's in the ending now! Looks like from where he's there's no coming back, which is why he is going at it FULL ON