"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 first met you hanging knickers on the line
From that moment on I knew
That there could only be one outcome
Me and you against the world forever
You have no folks and I'm just a joke
But we made a vow that we would never sell each other out
A lie detector wouldn't make me doubt you
Now we know that it's us versus the world now
Me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
Hey now me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
We hitched a ride that would turn out suicide
I had my .45 replica gun
I didn't think we'd ever need it
Didn't know he had a real one loaded
You went in first took the worst
Couldn't hear me shouting you to stop
Above the busy traffic passing by
We promised that together we would die
Now we know that it's us versus the world now
Me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
Hey now me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
I went in next took a bullet in the chest?
So I hit him with the only thing that was anywhere near me?
A tin of baked beans and a Womans Weekly
I got the cash picked you up and made a dash we didn't make it
Too far we made it to the parking lot 40 cops in front of us?
Guess who got shot
Lying there dying in each others arms oh you said to me
Don't worry about a thing my little sweetheart
We're together we shall never be apart
You took a chance on a loser like me
But you never let me down
And whether we were in heaven or hell
I know it's better than separate cells
Now we know it's us versus the world now
Me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
Hey now me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars
Well they're shining just for us
From that moment on I knew
That there could only be one outcome
Me and you against the world forever
You have no folks and I'm just a joke
But we made a vow that we would never sell each other out
A lie detector wouldn't make me doubt you
Now we know that it's us versus the world now
Me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
Hey now me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
We hitched a ride that would turn out suicide
I had my .45 replica gun
I didn't think we'd ever need it
Didn't know he had a real one loaded
You went in first took the worst
Couldn't hear me shouting you to stop
Above the busy traffic passing by
We promised that together we would die
Now we know that it's us versus the world now
Me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
Hey now me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
I went in next took a bullet in the chest?
So I hit him with the only thing that was anywhere near me?
A tin of baked beans and a Womans Weekly
I got the cash picked you up and made a dash we didn't make it
Too far we made it to the parking lot 40 cops in front of us?
Guess who got shot
Lying there dying in each others arms oh you said to me
Don't worry about a thing my little sweetheart
We're together we shall never be apart
You took a chance on a loser like me
But you never let me down
And whether we were in heaven or hell
I know it's better than separate cells
Now we know it's us versus the world now
Me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars well they're shining just for us
Hey now me and you against the world now
Look up there in the sky now
See the stars
Well they're shining just for us
Lyrics submitted by grohloholic
Me and You Versus the World Lyrics as written by Francis Griffiths James Edwards
Lyrics © Phoenix Music International Ltd
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
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
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.
I can't believe no one's wrote about this song. It's one of my favourites. It's kinda a fairytale gone wrong in a way, but it seems OK in the end because they die together, and they love each other so much.