"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.
When I look you in your eyes I can see my own
Straight love manifested in flesh and bone
You's a breath of fresh air in this world of shit
You was born to be a soldier don't ever forget
Hit back when hit
Use force that's effective
All these bitches and women
Son, please be selective
This is California can't stick your dick in everything
We will survive necessarily by any means
Let no man ever hold you down or suppress you
It's the 90's the police just arrest you,
disrespect you on occasion take life
By the time you come of age they'll probably blast on sight
It's a shame they protect them but try to serve us
When your neck is on the line stand ground then bust
In God we trust but just in case keep it loaded and locked
Ready to rock
Then shake the spot
The Foundation
You came from a long line of killers and drug dealers
Who forever smoke bud
So it's probably in your blood
Realize you can only run the streets so long
Then the streets run you into the ground then gone
It's kinda ruff trying to teach you what's right from wrong
Same shit different day
It's the same ol' song
If the time ever comes that I meet my match
Take control of my assets
Fuck startin' from scratch
Take care of your mother
Keep yourself on track
Just cause niggas get behind you don't mean they got your back
Beware of the serpent
Cause there's a time in life the mothafucker will strike
And try to make you loose sight
Don't be a fake mothafucker tryin' to keep shit real
Fill cassettes with idle threats with no guts to kill
Son if you ever pull heat
Then use it
If you got a chance to walk away
Then do it
Total domination takes full concentration in all situations
A solid foundation
You are the foundation
Beginning of a new generation
I remember hospital hallway pacin'
I was anxious as fuck to see your face shine
Only to find that yours looked like mine
So it's like I'm livin' twice at the exact same time
In this life you can't press stop
Then press rewind
Gotta live to the fullest never follow behind no man
Have your own plan, expand your mind
Ain't no paper thin game to raise wannabe thugs
This is nothing but love
Via satellite Mug gs
Take heed when it's your turn to bring new life
Make sure it's the woman you gonna make your wife
Be prepared for the worst
But expect the best
No matter where life takes you
Come home to the West
Survival takes more than just gats and guns
That's words to live by
From a father to a son
Foundation
Straight love manifested in flesh and bone
You's a breath of fresh air in this world of shit
You was born to be a soldier don't ever forget
Hit back when hit
Use force that's effective
All these bitches and women
Son, please be selective
This is California can't stick your dick in everything
We will survive necessarily by any means
Let no man ever hold you down or suppress you
It's the 90's the police just arrest you,
disrespect you on occasion take life
By the time you come of age they'll probably blast on sight
It's a shame they protect them but try to serve us
When your neck is on the line stand ground then bust
In God we trust but just in case keep it loaded and locked
Ready to rock
Then shake the spot
The Foundation
You came from a long line of killers and drug dealers
Who forever smoke bud
So it's probably in your blood
Realize you can only run the streets so long
Then the streets run you into the ground then gone
It's kinda ruff trying to teach you what's right from wrong
Same shit different day
It's the same ol' song
If the time ever comes that I meet my match
Take control of my assets
Fuck startin' from scratch
Take care of your mother
Keep yourself on track
Just cause niggas get behind you don't mean they got your back
Beware of the serpent
Cause there's a time in life the mothafucker will strike
And try to make you loose sight
Don't be a fake mothafucker tryin' to keep shit real
Fill cassettes with idle threats with no guts to kill
Son if you ever pull heat
Then use it
If you got a chance to walk away
Then do it
Total domination takes full concentration in all situations
A solid foundation
You are the foundation
Beginning of a new generation
I remember hospital hallway pacin'
I was anxious as fuck to see your face shine
Only to find that yours looked like mine
So it's like I'm livin' twice at the exact same time
In this life you can't press stop
Then press rewind
Gotta live to the fullest never follow behind no man
Have your own plan, expand your mind
Ain't no paper thin game to raise wannabe thugs
This is nothing but love
Via satellite Mug gs
Take heed when it's your turn to bring new life
Make sure it's the woman you gonna make your wife
Be prepared for the worst
But expect the best
No matter where life takes you
Come home to the West
Survival takes more than just gats and guns
That's words to live by
From a father to a son
Foundation
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.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Album: At The Speed Of Life (1996)