"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 always said that you
Would never be anything
Everything you tried to do was
Just a waste of time
But you believed you could do
Anything you wanted to
You made your mind up
And you never looked behind
Don't let them try to tell you
How to live your life
Don't let them hold you back
Don't ever change your mind
[Chorus]
Individuality
Be proud of what you are
Individuality
Don't let them cut you down
You can be whatever you want to be
But don't change your self for society
Don't lose your individuality
The years go by and find that
Nothing comes easily
And the world is full of people
Tryin to take you down
Don't ever turn your back on
Anythin you'll ever be
You don't need to prove yourself
To anybody else
Don't let them try to tell you
How to live your life
Don't let them hold you back
Don't ever change your mind
[Chorus]
Individuality
Be proud of what you are
Individuality
Don't let them cut you down
You can be whatever you want to be
But don't change your self for society
Don't lose your individuality
There is no run for second best
No second chance don't fail the test
Gotta rise above the rest
Gotta try to make your mark
No need to be so vain
No need to act so proud
Follow the trends don't ever
Stand out from the crowd
Do you really care what
Other people think about you
Does it really matter what they do
Or what they say
You fought so hard to let 'em
Throw it all back in your face
When their opinion never
Mattered anyway
Don't let them try to tell you
How to live your life
Don't let them hold you back
Don't ever change your mind
[Chorus]
Individuality
Be proud of what you are
Individuality
Don't let them cut you down
You can be whatever you want to be
But don't change your self for society
Don't lose your individuality
Don't lose your individuality
Don't lose your individuality
Would never be anything
Everything you tried to do was
Just a waste of time
But you believed you could do
Anything you wanted to
You made your mind up
And you never looked behind
Don't let them try to tell you
How to live your life
Don't let them hold you back
Don't ever change your mind
[Chorus]
Individuality
Be proud of what you are
Individuality
Don't let them cut you down
You can be whatever you want to be
But don't change your self for society
Don't lose your individuality
The years go by and find that
Nothing comes easily
And the world is full of people
Tryin to take you down
Don't ever turn your back on
Anythin you'll ever be
You don't need to prove yourself
To anybody else
Don't let them try to tell you
How to live your life
Don't let them hold you back
Don't ever change your mind
[Chorus]
Individuality
Be proud of what you are
Individuality
Don't let them cut you down
You can be whatever you want to be
But don't change your self for society
Don't lose your individuality
There is no run for second best
No second chance don't fail the test
Gotta rise above the rest
Gotta try to make your mark
No need to be so vain
No need to act so proud
Follow the trends don't ever
Stand out from the crowd
Do you really care what
Other people think about you
Does it really matter what they do
Or what they say
You fought so hard to let 'em
Throw it all back in your face
When their opinion never
Mattered anyway
Don't let them try to tell you
How to live your life
Don't let them hold you back
Don't ever change your mind
[Chorus]
Individuality
Be proud of what you are
Individuality
Don't let them cut you down
You can be whatever you want to be
But don't change your self for society
Don't lose your individuality
Don't lose your individuality
Don't lose your individuality
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
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 so amazingly corny... I can't believe I ever liked it. But what's more amazing is that coming back to it, I still ADORE it, now more than ever. It's corny, it's preachy, and it's cliched... but it makes you feel better when you're down, and I know, because it's been stuck in my head for years now and it comes up every time I'm down.
The song itself? It doesn't give a message, it beats you over the head with it. It's cliche, yeah, but still, it's a worthy message because there seem to be way too many people that still need to hear it.