"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 get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Do, don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me, tell me, tell me, come on tell me the answer
Well, you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Helter skelter, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Will you, won't you want me to make you
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Look out
Helter skelter, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Look out, 'cause here she comes
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
And I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
And I get to the bottom and I see you again, yeah, yeah
Well do you, don't you want me to make you
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me, tell me, tell me your answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Look out
Helter skelter, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Look out, helter skelter
She's coming down fast
Yes, she is
Yes, she is
Coming down fast
(I've got blisters on my fingers)
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
Do, don't you want me to love you
I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you
Tell me, tell me, tell me, come on tell me the answer
Well, you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Helter skelter, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Will you, won't you want me to make you
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Look out
Helter skelter, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Look out, 'cause here she comes
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
And I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
And I get to the bottom and I see you again, yeah, yeah
Well do you, don't you want me to make you
I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
Tell me, tell me, tell me your answer
You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer
Look out
Helter skelter, helter skelter
Helter skelter
Look out, helter skelter
She's coming down fast
Yes, she is
Yes, she is
Coming down fast
(I've got blisters on my fingers)
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
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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
i just checked out "helter skelter" and i didn´t like, what i read, so i decided to sign up and place a comment to put things right...
now read - all who are interested in how this song is related to the manson family:
it is not true, that the beatles got inspiered by the murders - FACT!!!
charles manson believed that the beatles were sending him messages through their songs. he saw a race-war coming up between blacks and whites - of which he preached to his disciples, the so called "manson family". he gave this war the name "helter-skelter" named after the song. in the song he heard machineguns and pigs. when he realized, that his "helter-skelter-war" wouldn´t start, he decided to start it by himself. he went out with the family to commit the murders. the murderers stole a wallet in the polanski´s house and it was dropped in a toilet in a petrol-station in a "black area". then - so he thought -the war would start. he believed, that the blacks would win the war and kill all the white population. he and his family would escape and hide under the earth surface in the "bottomless pit" (described in the bible) which he saw located in death valley. after a long period of time the children of the family would arise out of the bottomless pit, kill all the blacks and then rule the world.
there is a lot more to this story but this version is enough for you to know.
all the beatles wanted to do with this song is to outrock pete townsend - THAT´S ALL
peace!!!!!!, fnord
Actually, he didn't plan to kill the blacks. After the war was over, he felt the blacks wouldn't know how to lead or run the country. He said that "darkie" would come to him and ask him to lead and he would pat "darkie" on the head and tell him to go work in the fields like a good n****er. Hia plan was to make the blacks slaves again.
dude that whole outline of the manson murders was completely wrong! first of all charles manson never went out and did the actual killing himself secondly he thought black people would take over and he would rise up on them after the race war was over thirdly he only ordered the murders on the tate's because he wanted to kill this record producer that didnt like his music and had rejected him a record contract it just happen to b shitty luck that he had moved out and roman and sharron moved in after they killed sharron and all the guests there then they made it all look like black people had done it calling the race war 'helter skelter' then he just sent them to kill randomly which didnt get them very far because they got caught shortly after. I guess thats what lsd and baby eatin' getcha a lifetime in prison dun dun DUN.
ok point taken but...what the person was basically saying was manson was inspired by the white album in many ways. that is the point... not the beatles by manson. manson thought of the white album like a f*in bible. and that is a FACT. the song its self is about what this person said ... paul thought .... we can out rock "the wh"o and all these "rock bands" better than anyone else. and this is his middle finger back at the people that thought they couldnt. paul wrote the lyrics after a ride in england. the bealtes where totally high out of their minds locked themselves in the recording room and did this song all night. the song was super long and they cut it to the version we hear today. amazing song.
@SNAFU - Fnord The Beatles wrote the song Helter Skelter because of the message left on the Tate house murder scene --- FACT