"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.
Cold as the northern winds
In December mornings,
Cold is the cry that rings
From this far distant shore.
Winter has come too late
Too close beside me.
How can I chase away
All these fears deep inside?
I'll wait the signs to come.
I'll find a way
I will wait the time to come.
I'll find a way home.
My light shall be the moon
And my path - the ocean.
My guide the morning star
As I sail home to you.
I'll wait the signs to come.
I'll find a way
I will wait the time to come.
I'll find a way home.
My light shall be the moon
And my path - the ocean.
My guide the morning star
As I sail home to you.
Who then can warm my soul?
Who can quell my passion?
Out of these dreams - a boat
I will sail home to you.
In December mornings,
Cold is the cry that rings
From this far distant shore.
Winter has come too late
Too close beside me.
How can I chase away
All these fears deep inside?
I'll wait the signs to come.
I'll find a way
I will wait the time to come.
I'll find a way home.
My light shall be the moon
And my path - the ocean.
My guide the morning star
As I sail home to you.
I'll wait the signs to come.
I'll find a way
I will wait the time to come.
I'll find a way home.
My light shall be the moon
And my path - the ocean.
My guide the morning star
As I sail home to you.
Who then can warm my soul?
Who can quell my passion?
Out of these dreams - a boat
I will sail home to you.
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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/
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.
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.
For me, this has always been about being wrenched away from the place you love, the desperate loneliness of knowing you will probably never see the people you left behind ever again... and that small grain of hope that you might. When it happened to me, this was the song that kept me going.
@6Yankee I've been there, and still feel the pain 60 years later.....
In this, I see two lovers seperated by time and space, who long only for each other's touch (perhaps, Romeo & Juliet?) One has been sent away, and the others waits for his/her return. A real tear jerker for me, especially if you've seen the video.
i love this song. has anybody read the books by Diana Gabaldon, called Cross Stich and then going on through to the Fiery Cross? if you have then ull know what i mean about it reminding me of these books. its ;ike what 6yankee said, she got wrenched away from her home, time and place. brilliant books and beautiful song
It reminds me of being lost and wanting to be found but finding your way back is more a challenge then once thought but still you trudge on. Also I keep thinking of the TITANCI and 9-11 when I hear this.
Cool, I'm not the only one who thinks of "Titanic" when I hear this song! The song came out in 1989 or so, but I heard it for the first time right around when "Titanic" came out. I always equated the lyrics to the story, b/c the lyrics make me think of someone who is lost at sea at night and trying to find home and the one they love. I wish that they had used this song somewhere in the movie -like right before Rose decides to kill herself or after Jack dies, or at the end where Old Rose is dropping the necklace and dreaming of Jack.
I didn't mean to submit 3 times, my pc locked up!
I agree with the being forced to leave the place you love theory.
Cool, I'm not the only one who thinks of "Titanic" when I hear this song! The song came out in 1989 or so, but I heard it for the first time right around when "Titanic" came out. I always equated the lyrics to the story, b/c the lyrics make me think of someone who is lost at sea at night and trying to find home and the one they love. I wish that they had used this song somewhere in the movie -like right before Rose decides to kill herself or after Jack dies, or at the end where Old Rose is dropping the necklace and dreaming of Jack.
Cool, I'm not the only one who thinks of "Titanic" when I hear this song! The song came out in 1989 or so, but I heard it for the first time right around when "Titanic" came out. I always equated the lyrics to the story, b/c the lyrics make me think of someone who is lost at sea at night and trying to find home and the one they love. I wish that they had used this song somewhere in the movie -like right before Rose decides to kill herself or after Jack dies, or at the end where Old Rose is dropping the necklace and dreaming of Jack.