"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.
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Ultimate reconciliation. We hurt each other, we love each other, life goes on. Hate dies, Loves lives forever. Please forgive me for your sake, not mine; as I have forgiven you for my sake not yours. (^_^) Even if, even if you don't love me aaannyyymmoorree.
I love your meaning of this song and I agree with it.
@PhoenixSouvenir75 <br /> <br /> Absolutely perfect interpretation of this tune.
I heard this song on the radio about 23 years ago. After it finished, the radio announcer said, "That's Don Henley with a song about letting go of anger after suffering a broken heart."
The person who said this is about divorce is right on. He's singing about life being too short to hold grudges after a messy and bitter divorce. He can't seem to pinpoint exactly what happened to where the relationship went wrong, all he knows is that it's about getting over the pain and forgiving and moving on, no matter how bad.
Believe it or not, this song actually has a happy ending. It was written by a guy named Rodney Eubanks. I may have the story a little wrong, but here's the gist of it: Rodney and his high school sweetheart went their separate ways and she married someone else. He wrote this song for her, then went on with his life. Years later, after separate divorces, they are now married to each other.
hello gilby jr, yes you are correct about Rodney Eubanks writing this. It is about his high school sweethear, me, and we are now married for seven years now. I got the call today verse is about when Rodney was living in Nashville at the time and his mother called him from Texas to tell him that I was getting married the next day, 6/13. We did go our separate ways and your information is all correct.
guess you never really know what can happen in life
@gilby_jr
@gilby_jr Dont listen to these idiots this song was written by Don Henley and JD souther. Morons spreading lies and misinformation...
My interpretation of the song is that it is about divorce When a couple who have been married for a long time decide to break the relationship, it breaks your heart and that's what Don Henley talks about in this song. And then, after the split up has occured, they start to find someone else and that can either make someone feel a bit sad or make them happy for the person. And eventually, it's not about all of that, it's eventually down to forgiveness for all the bad times they went through and being happy that they aren't there anymore.
i think this song is about a guy who has sat around waiting for his ex to get back together with him, but with little success. in the end, after an "old true friend" tells him his ex has moved on with her life and is seeing another man he realises its time he does the same.
i do like the idea of the song representing the breakup of the eagles though, aslthough it is most probably an after thought of the dons and not the original intention.
this songs is about don henley and his wife . . . on a dvd i have before he sings the song he says "this song took me 42 years to write but 4 mins to sing" 42 being the number of years that hes been with his wife .. this song is about him forgetting about his wife because he got caught up with the eagles and his career that he didnt think of her anymore and just forgot her .. . he speaks of how he wants her to forgive him even tho he knows that she doesnt love him anymore.. his wife found somebody new so she left him . . ..
Nope, this is not about Henley's wife. He did not write it. He bought the song.
has nebodi noticed that most of the songs that have comments r from the Actual Miles cd ?
Like most art, the artist leaves it to interpretation of the listener, melding together with what they bring to it. Likewise, the artist may be inspired by more than one thing in writing it...
I think this is a synthesis of many things in Don's life (and the co-writers as well), certainly it has part of its genesis in the breakup of the Eagles, but also more than likely personal relationships as well, which we can all relate too.
Katherine mentioned (in the other thread) about Don's intro to this on the 'Hell Freezes Over' DVD, that this song "took 42 years to write, and about 4 minutes to sing. So..." - and he leaves it at that... but if you saw his face when he said it, you know it means so much to him that mere words cannot do it justice. You have to hear it, you have to sing it, you have to live it.
One other thing you might consider, is that this sing is really a conversation with a friend, which is continued in 'My Thanksgiving': "A lot of things have happened since the last time we spoke Some of them are funny, some of em ain't no joke And I trust you will forgive me if I lay it on the line I always thought you were a friend of mine"
...and ends with:
"For every moment of joy every hour of fear For every winding road that brought me here For every breath, for every day of living This is my thanksgiving
For everyone who helped me start And for everything that broke my heart For every breath, for every day of living This is my thanksgiving"
Isn't that the ultimate expression of forgiveness?
These two songs make a beautiful pair of bookends to the same thought, about personal spiritual growth.
I have to agree after doing research I think that Justintime has a great point on the credits on Don Henley's song! Why is Eubanks not mentioned? What makes Gilby jr so right? I am curious as to what other work Eubanks has done and what other singers has he written for? Great song though, but is just a basic guy loses girl, etc. etc.