"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.
And if my two left feet could settle down and split the difference
Tripping over myself in every way that I know how
Perhaps in time I could surpass my coy façade of vast indifference
But I've already reached the maximum of what my law allows
You tell me to relax you tell me
Not to try so hard
But in the end it only makes me want to more
To figure out some way to play some major part
So I watch her move and I watch her work
Satisfy my voyeuristic quirk
Old habits they are hard to break
Just harder than it is to take
And when she looks away I tap my feet
I try my best to be discreet
Careful so she won't find out
How much I want to shout
Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
I suppose the thing that gets me most is that if I'd bothered ever
I wouldn't feel so much like Casey who never got to bat
You cannot help but laugh at me singing better late than never
And more and more I realize I have no argument for that
I can almost work up the nerve for a declaration
I can almost hear me speak the words as I gain resolve
But then you move and you twirl and you smile at me
And my inhibition and my courage both dissolve
And so I'm standing there and I do not move
In spite of her momentous groove
And for a moment I can barely see
A glimpse of how good it could be
And then I must admit that I want to try
To look Felicia in the eye
And when the music starts to play
To smile at her and say
Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
And so I'm standing there and I do not move
In spite of her momentous groove
And for a moment I can barely see
A glimpse of how good it could be
And then I must admit that I want to try
To look Felicia in the eye
And when the music starts to play
To smile at her and say
Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
Dance with me I want to dance with you Felicia
Tripping over myself in every way that I know how
Perhaps in time I could surpass my coy façade of vast indifference
But I've already reached the maximum of what my law allows
You tell me to relax you tell me
Not to try so hard
But in the end it only makes me want to more
To figure out some way to play some major part
So I watch her move and I watch her work
Satisfy my voyeuristic quirk
Old habits they are hard to break
Just harder than it is to take
And when she looks away I tap my feet
I try my best to be discreet
Careful so she won't find out
How much I want to shout
Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
I suppose the thing that gets me most is that if I'd bothered ever
I wouldn't feel so much like Casey who never got to bat
You cannot help but laugh at me singing better late than never
And more and more I realize I have no argument for that
I can almost work up the nerve for a declaration
I can almost hear me speak the words as I gain resolve
But then you move and you twirl and you smile at me
And my inhibition and my courage both dissolve
And so I'm standing there and I do not move
In spite of her momentous groove
And for a moment I can barely see
A glimpse of how good it could be
And then I must admit that I want to try
To look Felicia in the eye
And when the music starts to play
To smile at her and say
Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
And so I'm standing there and I do not move
In spite of her momentous groove
And for a moment I can barely see
A glimpse of how good it could be
And then I must admit that I want to try
To look Felicia in the eye
And when the music starts to play
To smile at her and say
Come on and dance with me Felicia
And show me how to do that step I never thought I could
You always move so gracefully
And I was never any good
But maybe if you'll dance with me
I'd feel as nimble as a cheetah Felicia
The momentary soaring of an eagle would be me
Come on Felicia set me free
And when you start to close your eyes
You know you move so beautifully
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
I want to dance with you come on and dance with me Felicia
Dance with me I want to dance with you Felicia
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.