"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 my love complained, every word
A breath on my last dandelion
And so lovers will leave and their tears
Souvenirs for the very first time
I searched the world reluctant
To find a lover enthusiastic
Speak to me barely if at all
When I was a boy, funny things
Water wings kept you confident
A belly of wine, similar
To keep yourself indifferent
And I scraped the bargain basement
Bought a lover less than fantastic
Spoke to me barely if at all
Taste perfume that burns my throat
And I am free of envelope
Squeeze an instant out of me
And she placed a hand between our lips
How could anything be so precious
She kissed me barley if at all
And she, with her hand between our lips
Gave me what we now have in common
She left me barely if at all
A breath on my last dandelion
And so lovers will leave and their tears
Souvenirs for the very first time
I searched the world reluctant
To find a lover enthusiastic
Speak to me barely if at all
When I was a boy, funny things
Water wings kept you confident
A belly of wine, similar
To keep yourself indifferent
And I scraped the bargain basement
Bought a lover less than fantastic
Spoke to me barely if at all
Taste perfume that burns my throat
And I am free of envelope
Squeeze an instant out of me
And she placed a hand between our lips
How could anything be so precious
She kissed me barley if at all
And she, with her hand between our lips
Gave me what we now have in common
She left me barely if at all
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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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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.
I think he's saying that he just wants a low maintenence relationship, not a girl who he can share his world with. Pretty much he wants a girl just for convenient sex, without any attatachments. he talks about his failed attempts at this, and how eventually he does find a girl who seems to be just like him, but in the end she just leaves. However, he doesn't really get hurt by this because he's never in love enough to feel it