"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.
You can tell by the way
She walks that she's my girl
You can tell by the way
She talks she woos the world
You can see in her eyes
That no one is her change
She's my girl
My supergirl
And then she'd say it's OK
I got lost on the way
But I'm a super girl
And super girls don't cry
And then she'd say it's alright
I got home late last night
But I'm a super girl
And super girls just fly
And then she'd say
That nothing can go wrong
When you're in love
What can be wrong?
And then she'd laugh
The night time into day
Pushing her fear
Further alone
And then she'd say it's OK
I got lost on the way
But I'm a super girl
And super girls don't cry
And then she'd say it's alright
I got home late last night
But I'm a super girl
And super girls just fly
And then she'd shout
Down the line
Tell me she's got no more time
'Cause she's a supergirl
And supergirl's don't cry
And then she'd scream in my face
Tell me to leave
Leave this place
'Cause she's a supergirl
And supergirl's just fly
Yeah she's a supergirl
A supergirl
She's so in seeds, she's burning trees
She's so in seeds, she's burning streams
Yeah she's a supergirl
A supergirl
A supergirl
My supergirl
She walks that she's my girl
You can tell by the way
She talks she woos the world
You can see in her eyes
That no one is her change
She's my girl
My supergirl
And then she'd say it's OK
I got lost on the way
But I'm a super girl
And super girls don't cry
And then she'd say it's alright
I got home late last night
But I'm a super girl
And super girls just fly
And then she'd say
That nothing can go wrong
When you're in love
What can be wrong?
And then she'd laugh
The night time into day
Pushing her fear
Further alone
And then she'd say it's OK
I got lost on the way
But I'm a super girl
And super girls don't cry
And then she'd say it's alright
I got home late last night
But I'm a super girl
And super girls just fly
And then she'd shout
Down the line
Tell me she's got no more time
'Cause she's a supergirl
And supergirl's don't cry
And then she'd scream in my face
Tell me to leave
Leave this place
'Cause she's a supergirl
And supergirl's just fly
Yeah she's a supergirl
A supergirl
She's so in seeds, she's burning trees
She's so in seeds, she's burning streams
Yeah she's a supergirl
A supergirl
A supergirl
My supergirl
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
This song is very good, I can't understand why it never made to Australia...? I agree that it's about a girl that can't be happy..