"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.
I get up and nothin' gets me down
You got it tough, I've seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches to get to what's real
Ah, can't you see me standin' here?
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Ah, can't you see what I mean?
Ah, might as well jump (jump)
Might as well jump
Go ahead and jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Hello, hey you
Who said that?
Baby, how you been?
You say you don't know
You won't know until you begin
So can't you see me standing here?
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Ah, can't you see what I mean?
Ah, might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Jump
Might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Get it and jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Jump
Jump
Jump
Jump
You got it tough, I've seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches to get to what's real
Ah, can't you see me standin' here?
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Ah, can't you see what I mean?
Ah, might as well jump (jump)
Might as well jump
Go ahead and jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Hello, hey you
Who said that?
Baby, how you been?
You say you don't know
You won't know until you begin
So can't you see me standing here?
I've got my back against the record machine
I ain't the worst that you've seen
Ah, can't you see what I mean?
Ah, might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Jump
Might as well jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Get it and jump (jump)
Go ahead and jump
Jump
Jump
Jump
Jump
Lyrics submitted by Boonechic_21, edited by hidada
Jump Lyrics as written by Edward Van Halen Alex Van Halen
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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If you want to know what the song is really about you have to do two things:
He's basically saying he met a girl who doesn't know him and why not take a chance with him (jump).
More relative lyrics to support my opinion: Who said that? Baby, how you been? You say you don't know. You won't know until you begin.
It's all about sex.
Was it inspired by a news story about suicide? Probably, but only because he was looking for lyrics to tie the song together. The word "Jump" probably "jumped" at him and he probably said "Aha! That's what I needed to tie it together.
And, I'm not so sure that he is singing "You GOT it tough." Sounds more like he's singing "You KINDA tough. I've seen the toughest around," as in tough-acting ladies.
And, as for "rolling with the punches," he's probably talking about getting rejected after using the "I ain't the worst that you've seen, jump" pickup line so often. And, hinting to the guys to just "Jump" and don't worry about getting rejected.
@james10210 I tend to agree ... the second verse has no connotations towards suicide, and it is far easier to find connotations towards a girl checking out a man in the first and second verses.