"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.
What are we gonna do about the men in blue?
What are we gonna do?
Cops are fags and that's a fact
They walk around in tight blue slacks
Pat you down, they search your ass
Cops are fags and that's a fact
Mustache this and mustache that
They're at the donut shop gettin fat
Fuckin pigs they always harass
The power trip behind thier badge
Twirlin battons big night sticks
Is it cuz they have such little dicks
Fags for sure those fuckin pricks
I'm sick of it
I'm sick of Po's bustin up my shows
Sick of Po's stragglin the flows
Sick of living my life in fear
I'm sick of cops those fuckin queers
What are we gonna do about the men in blue?
What are we gonna do?
They're lookin for a reason
Anything at all
To put his hands inside my pants
And rub around my balls
He knows that we dont like him
He wants to lock us up
Put us in his little cage
Contain us with his cuffs
Powder puff says he jock, ego maniac
Pissed cuz i got bitches, weed, and money by the stacks
And money buys you freedom at least thats what they say
What gives them the fuckin right to carry me away
Face down on the concrete hands behind my back
Invade my home break my bong confiscate my sack
Thats a little sample of how they fuckin act
Power trippin macho queers with a fuckin badge
Cuz i smoke marijuana and grow it by the pounds
It's just a plant a lovely plant that sprouts up from the ground
And who the fuck gives you the right to make that choice for me
Interact the way i please its my right to be free
So next time they harrass you and try to take your weed
Call the pig a fuckin fag for me and Bobby B
What are we gonna do?
Cops are fags and that's a fact
They walk around in tight blue slacks
Pat you down, they search your ass
Cops are fags and that's a fact
Mustache this and mustache that
They're at the donut shop gettin fat
Fuckin pigs they always harass
The power trip behind thier badge
Twirlin battons big night sticks
Is it cuz they have such little dicks
Fags for sure those fuckin pricks
I'm sick of it
I'm sick of Po's bustin up my shows
Sick of Po's stragglin the flows
Sick of living my life in fear
I'm sick of cops those fuckin queers
What are we gonna do about the men in blue?
What are we gonna do?
They're lookin for a reason
Anything at all
To put his hands inside my pants
And rub around my balls
He knows that we dont like him
He wants to lock us up
Put us in his little cage
Contain us with his cuffs
Powder puff says he jock, ego maniac
Pissed cuz i got bitches, weed, and money by the stacks
And money buys you freedom at least thats what they say
What gives them the fuckin right to carry me away
Face down on the concrete hands behind my back
Invade my home break my bong confiscate my sack
Thats a little sample of how they fuckin act
Power trippin macho queers with a fuckin badge
Cuz i smoke marijuana and grow it by the pounds
It's just a plant a lovely plant that sprouts up from the ground
And who the fuck gives you the right to make that choice for me
Interact the way i please its my right to be free
So next time they harrass you and try to take your weed
Call the pig a fuckin fag for me and Bobby B
Lyrics submitted by Evad
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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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/