"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.
I came and saw you left the light on
There was no one home at all
Couldn't wait to get your clothes on
Shouldn't come around to call on you
The taste was sweet and you delivered
I didn't know I would feel so high
Well, I guess we didn't have to kill her
But don't feel so bad though
You looked her in the eye
And I watched her cry
And my mouth went dry
Everyone is going to have to die sometime
My mouth is clean, my hands are dirty
Heaven isn't on my side
Well, if it was, then she'd have hurt me
Didn't think this through
But, I didn't have the time
To perfect my crime
I drank my wine
Everything is going to be just fine
I don't know, I don't love, (you're alone, you're alone) I don't know
Anyone like me
I'm not heaven sent
I'm not heaven sent
But I'm broken and bent
My mouth went dry
As I watched her cry
Everyone has to, gets to die
But not on my time not on this girl's time
Fucked if it's my time (fucked if it's my time)
Not on my time(this is all fucked up)
There was no one home at all
Couldn't wait to get your clothes on
Shouldn't come around to call on you
The taste was sweet and you delivered
I didn't know I would feel so high
Well, I guess we didn't have to kill her
But don't feel so bad though
You looked her in the eye
And I watched her cry
And my mouth went dry
Everyone is going to have to die sometime
My mouth is clean, my hands are dirty
Heaven isn't on my side
Well, if it was, then she'd have hurt me
Didn't think this through
But, I didn't have the time
To perfect my crime
I drank my wine
Everything is going to be just fine
I don't know, I don't love, (you're alone, you're alone) I don't know
Anyone like me
I'm not heaven sent
I'm not heaven sent
But I'm broken and bent
My mouth went dry
As I watched her cry
Everyone has to, gets to die
But not on my time not on this girl's time
Fucked if it's my time (fucked if it's my time)
Not on my time(this is all fucked up)
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
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
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.
hmm..interesting idea - abortion, but then I don't understand all the "you looked her in the eye" and "I watched her cry". Sounds like they are talking about an adult, not a fetus. and why the "I dont know anyone like me". The alienation seems more apropos for a murder. That's kinda my thinking, although I know that that's way out there, too. hmm...