"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.
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Your mama's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay
Didn't leave nobody but the baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Everybody's gone in the cotton and the corn
Didn't leave nobody but the baby
You're sweet, little babe (You're sweet, little babe)
You're sweet, little babe (You're sweet, little babe)
Honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop
Gonna' bring a bottle to the baby
Don't you, weep pretty babe (Don't you, weep pretty babe)
Don't you, weep pretty babe (Don't you, weep pretty babe)
She's long gone with her red shoes on
Gonna' need another lovin' baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
You and me and the Devil makes three
Don't need no other lovin' baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones
And be my ever-lovin' baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Your mama's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay
Didn't leave nobody but the baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Everybody's gone in the cotton and the corn
Didn't leave nobody but the baby
You're sweet, little babe (You're sweet, little babe)
You're sweet, little babe (You're sweet, little babe)
Honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop
Gonna' bring a bottle to the baby
Don't you, weep pretty babe (Don't you, weep pretty babe)
Don't you, weep pretty babe (Don't you, weep pretty babe)
She's long gone with her red shoes on
Gonna' need another lovin' baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
You and me and the Devil makes three
Don't need no other lovin' baby
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Go to sleep you little babe (Go to sleep you little babe)
Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones
And be my ever-lovin' baby
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Fast Car
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It is a lullaby that was sung by slaves. It has a sweet melody for the baby, and is a way for the singer (most likely an older slave that can no longer do hard labor) to express what has happend (just as if you were singing to a baby and making up the words as you go.) The words are more for the singer than the baby. The song is sung to the baby but is truly a way for the singer to express.
go to sleep little babe go to sleep little babe
your momma's gone away and your daddy's gone to stay (actual lyric is gone to stay) didn't leave nobody but the baby (the mom has left and the dad has died)
go to sleep little babe go to sleep little babe
everybody's gone in the cotton and the corn didn't leave nobody but the baby (everyone else has gone to work and the singer is left with the baby)
you're a sweet little babe you're a sweet little babe
honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop gonna bring a bottle to the baby (honey in the rock means to fill with delight from the truths of faith, the 'sugar' is the sweetness of the 'honey')
don't you weep pretty babe don't you weep pretty babe
she's long gone with her red shoes on gonna need another loving babe (this line is explaining where the mother has gone, alot of people think this means she is a harlot, but i think the red shoes are a symbol for the blood on her worn feet. she is a slave and made to work. the next line refers to the fact that she has lost her baby and woman that have lost a baby need the hole left by the loss filled)
go to sleep little babe go to sleep little babe
you and me and the devil makes three don't need no other lovin' babe (the 'devil' here is the slave owner. Its just the singer, the baby and the slave owner left. The second line is expressing her love for the baby)
go to sleep little babe go to sleep little babe
come lay bones on the alabaster stones and be my everlovin' baby (Alabaster stones are used for healing,they have to heal themselves. The singer has now taken on the role of mother, the second line refers to her inviting the baby to be hers forever)
@mysong25 Amazing breakdown of the lyrics. Just listening to Another Day, Another Time as Gillian Welch, Carey Mulligan and Rhiannon Giddens sang the shit out of this song.
Thank you. Reading the other answer almost made my head explode. Like if you don't know just STFU pls. The question was whay does it mean not what can you make up about it
Freaking baby killer fantasies and crap. Lol. It is clearly a slave song about everything you said