"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.
They saw her break through barriers 40 feet high.
It was the finest moment in a long life.
Young boys will tack her pictures over their bed.
They saw her mouth move but couldn't hear what she said.
"You're a souvenir, a darling, dear."
She used to say that kind of thing.
"You're a mantlepiece with strong beliefs."
Only her black rainbow meant something.
Don't cry for her now. Oh yeah. Don't cry for her.
I saw the sailor talking with the cops.
I saw the sailor walking with the cops.
First comes the nurse, that just got back from war.
She had a feather in her cap. That's all she wore.
Then comes the mother and she's got a friend.
And they start yelling at you and that's how it all began.
It's one of those things you should not try at home.
What's meant by intentional falls can never be known.
And old actress worth her salt outta know
The higher you are you want to see what's below.
It was the finest moment in a long life.
Young boys will tack her pictures over their bed.
They saw her mouth move but couldn't hear what she said.
"You're a souvenir, a darling, dear."
She used to say that kind of thing.
"You're a mantlepiece with strong beliefs."
Only her black rainbow meant something.
Don't cry for her now. Oh yeah. Don't cry for her.
I saw the sailor talking with the cops.
I saw the sailor walking with the cops.
First comes the nurse, that just got back from war.
She had a feather in her cap. That's all she wore.
Then comes the mother and she's got a friend.
And they start yelling at you and that's how it all began.
It's one of those things you should not try at home.
What's meant by intentional falls can never be known.
And old actress worth her salt outta know
The higher you are you want to see what's below.
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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."
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental 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.
This song is about when you get to a very high point in your life or your rich, you want to know what its like to be low because you have forgotten.
Melora said that this song was about an actual actress Kate somebody
Yeah, Melora often uses actual events and personalities in her songs...it makes me think of old-time Hollywood glamour, the up and the down sides.
Like they said, it's about wanting to see the bottom after you're at the top. But two things I ponder: Is it possibly Judy Garland (Only her black rainbow meant something.)? And also, did the person commit suicide and this whole scene is the viewed by an outsider? The following lines make me think that: (talking with the cops...walking with the cops.... First comes the nurse...What's meant by intentional falls can never be known...Don't cry for her now. Oh yeah. Don't cry for her.)
@VampedVixen don't forget the higher you are you want to see what's below.
i think u might just b right, i want to get more rasputina stuff but my downloading site sux, I MISS KAZAA!!
what're you using to download things off of?
that line, "the higher you are you want to see what's below," pretty much sums up the whole thing.
Yeah it sounds like suicide to me.. with all of the references there (nurses, cops... mother) and : "And they start yelling at you and that's how it all began."
also 'it's one of those things you should not try at home'
I don't know who Kate is, but I know that Marilyn Monroe was found by her nurse. Also, wasn't Anna Nicole the same? How interesting.
I agree, suicide. I think it says this in the first stanza.
"They saw her break through barriers 40 feet high. It was the finest moment in a long life."
She's breaking through barriers 40 feet high because she jumped. It seemed like a great choice to make at the time, finest moment in a long life.
"Young boys will tack her pictures over their bed. They saw her mouth move but couldn't hear what she said."
Maybe she was saying something as she fell or before she jumped, but noone was near her? They could only see her mouth the words. Or maybe it just means she was a silent-film actress.
Also "The higher you are you want to see what's below." As VampedVixen said, "it's about wanting to see the bottom after you're at the top." But it also means that she literally jumped from a high place and fell.