"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.
Something's missing and I don't know why
I always feel the need to hide my feelings from you
Is it me or you that I'm afraid of
I tell myself I'll show you what I'm made of
Can't bring myself to let you go
I don't want to cause you any pain
But I love you just the same
And you'll always be my baby
In my heart I know we've come apart
And I don't know where to start
What can I do, I don't want to feel blue
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing some kind stranger's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy, I'm not happy
Something's happened and I can't go back
I fall apart every time you hand your heart out to me
What happens now, I know I don't deserve you
I wonder how I'm ever gonna hurt you
Can't bring myself to let you go
I don't want to cause you any pain
But I love you just the same
And you'll always be my baby
In my heart I know we've come apart
And I don't know where to start
What can I do, I don't want to feel blue
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing some kind stranger's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy, I'm not happy, this way
I don't want to cause you any pain
But I love you just the same
And you'll always be my baby
In my heart I know we've come apart
And I don't know where to start
What can I do, I don't want to feel blue
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
I'm not happy this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy, I'm not happy this way
I'm not happy this way
Kissing some kind stranger's lips
I always feel the need to hide my feelings from you
Is it me or you that I'm afraid of
I tell myself I'll show you what I'm made of
Can't bring myself to let you go
I don't want to cause you any pain
But I love you just the same
And you'll always be my baby
In my heart I know we've come apart
And I don't know where to start
What can I do, I don't want to feel blue
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing some kind stranger's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy, I'm not happy
Something's happened and I can't go back
I fall apart every time you hand your heart out to me
What happens now, I know I don't deserve you
I wonder how I'm ever gonna hurt you
Can't bring myself to let you go
I don't want to cause you any pain
But I love you just the same
And you'll always be my baby
In my heart I know we've come apart
And I don't know where to start
What can I do, I don't want to feel blue
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing some kind stranger's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy, I'm not happy, this way
I don't want to cause you any pain
But I love you just the same
And you'll always be my baby
In my heart I know we've come apart
And I don't know where to start
What can I do, I don't want to feel blue
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
I'm not happy this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy when I act this way
Bad girl, drunk by six
Kissing someone else's lips
Smoked too many cigarettes today
I'm not happy, I'm not happy this way
I'm not happy this way
Kissing some kind stranger's lips
Lyrics submitted by Boonechic_21
Bad Girl Lyrics as written by Anthony Shimkin Shep Pettibone
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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,
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.
I think this song is about smoking addiction. Not only the chorus, but other parts of the song, ex. "Can't bring myself to let you go/I fall apart each time you hand your heart out to me/Is it me or you that I'm afraid of". The line "I tell myself I'll show you what I made of" indicates trying to overcome the addiction.
@MasterSkymning Then she longs to, but can't she "open her heart" to her cigarettes? Sorry, but that doesn't fir on many, many levels. She is talking about depression. Not the need to quit smoking.