"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.
Break break down
Steady breakin' me on down, break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me,
But that you're just not in love
Immediately I pretended
To be feeling similarly
And led you to believe it was OK
To just walk away from the one thing
That's unyielding and sacred to me
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath a disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
So what do you do
When somebody you're so devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I will survive"
Do you lash out and say "How dare you leave this way?"
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
It'll break you down
Only if you let it
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind
Tryin' to break me down
But I won't let it, forget it (forget it)
I be feelin' like you bringing me down
Taking me around
Stressin' me out
I think I better go and get out
And let me release some stress (stress)
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain
Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all
But nevertheless Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here (here)
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Steady breakin' me on down, break break down
Steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down
You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me,
But that you're just not in love
Immediately I pretended
To be feeling similarly
And led you to believe it was OK
To just walk away from the one thing
That's unyielding and sacred to me
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath a disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
So what do you do
When somebody you're so devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I will survive"
Do you lash out and say "How dare you leave this way?"
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
It'll break you down
Only if you let it
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind
Tryin' to break me down
But I won't let it, forget it (forget it)
I be feelin' like you bringing me down
Taking me around
Stressin' me out
I think I better go and get out
And let me release some stress (stress)
Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain
Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all
But nevertheless Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here (here)
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
'Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
'Til I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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/
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.
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.
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.
THIS SONG IS BOMADACIOUS!!!!! FoeSHEEZY! I think Bone thugs realy helped the song out! It's a tight Ass collabo!
admit it.. people do this 'disguise' thing to make 'em feel alryt.. sad but true :(
everything i've ever felt.........lately
this is and can't live without you are my two favorite songs out right now because i'm in a long distance relationship, my boyfriend lives in england and i live in maryland and i only get to see him 3 times a year and phone him once every 3 weeks. we met down in the bahamas and really hit it off, like we had so much in common and so did our parents. we went to the movies twice and our families went out to dinner together twice. we had a BLAST. well now that it's over i'm really having a hard time moving on and knowing that i can't see him once a week and i cry myself to sleep every night just thinking about our memories together. so my friends that really don't understand this whole lond distance thing ask me how i'm feeling and if i miss him and that stuff just to make conversation and i say "yea i miss him but no big deal" because if i told them how i really felt then they'd be like your too young to feel that way. so when i'm with my friends i hold in the tears and i'm slowly losing my mind and dying of depression and not one of them have any idea. i love you ben!
I love this song, i think that everyone can relate to it, and the collaboration is awesome! I understand the fact she wants to express her feelings but she cant make herself do it after her relationship because she doesnt want him to know how weak she is.
i LOVE this song! its great.. Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it .. she puts it perfectly!
One of my favourites, and I do like Mariah a lot. Reminds me of the time I started to listen to it, after making love with the dearest friend of mine, and realising that it was more for me than just a one night stand, but not for him...so I kept on acting like it meant nothing, but I never quite got to be the same towards him, since I'm still broken about it, but nobody knows it. I hear this song and tears flow from my eyes instantly. "And I'm going the extremes to prove I'm fine without you, but in reality I'm slowly loosing my my mind, underneath the guise of a smile gradually I'm dying inside, friends ask me how I feel and I lie convincingly, 'cause I don't want to reveal that fact that I'm suffering..." Nobody knows I feel this way...but I'm slowly starting to show it so I can let go...
This definitely is one of my favorite Mariah songs, it has an awesome beat and great lyrics. Bone Thugs and Harmony just make it better.
they should add the BNTH rap lyrics, because they add a huge part to the song. this song got me through everything, and it's funny because after everything, i've gone back to this song to help me get throught this next break-up. the follow up to this song (where they "get back together") is Still Beleive with Krayzie Bone and Mariah. it's okay.
favourite song of mariah omg this song say so much Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it And I'm going the extremes to prove I'm fine without you But in reality I'm slowly loosing my my mind Underneath the guise of a smile gradually I'm dying inside Friends ask me how I feel and I lie convincingly 'Cause I don't want to reveal that fact that I'm suffering So I wear my disguise 'til I go home at night And turn down all the lights and then break down and cry
Verse
So what do you do when somebody you're devoted to Suddenly just stops loving you and it seems they haven't got a clue Of the pain that rejection is putting you through Do you cling to your pride and sing "I will survive" Do you lash out and say: "How dare you leave this way" Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away