"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.
Bastard of the cross relentlessly
Strike fear preaching of his coming here
Scriptures, twisted words to provocate
Rapture from the lord your god so great
Bastards of Christ, die
He fucked himself to save you - put to death, masochist
For this his word berate truth - agonized, prophecized
Revive the book of fiction - blasphemy, gluttony, to deceive you and me
In battled disposition - hang the bitch on the cross
Entitle his convictions - blasphemous, lunatic
Your heart is full of hatred - bastards die,
Fuck your Christ, will survive,
Kill yourself, die
Bastard, for your god you compromise
Do without, search the truth you'll never find
Scriptures offer little to relate
Laughter from the lord into your face
Bastards of Christ, die
You think your god will save who - I will see, just believe
You fool, not true, no thank you - enemy of the cross
His word installs deception - pray to god, not for me,
For yourself, soon you'll see
You'll die for your religion - holy shit, pacifist
Untrue with choices given - nothing won, you are dead
Describe the holy vision - blacking out, final breath, meet with death,
Nothingness, die
Strike fear preaching of his coming here
Scriptures, twisted words to provocate
Rapture from the lord your god so great
Bastards of Christ, die
He fucked himself to save you - put to death, masochist
For this his word berate truth - agonized, prophecized
Revive the book of fiction - blasphemy, gluttony, to deceive you and me
In battled disposition - hang the bitch on the cross
Entitle his convictions - blasphemous, lunatic
Your heart is full of hatred - bastards die,
Fuck your Christ, will survive,
Kill yourself, die
Bastard, for your god you compromise
Do without, search the truth you'll never find
Scriptures offer little to relate
Laughter from the lord into your face
Bastards of Christ, die
You think your god will save who - I will see, just believe
You fool, not true, no thank you - enemy of the cross
His word installs deception - pray to god, not for me,
For yourself, soon you'll see
You'll die for your religion - holy shit, pacifist
Untrue with choices given - nothing won, you are dead
Describe the holy vision - blacking out, final breath, meet with death,
Nothingness, die
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
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,
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.
Wow, who would listen to these pointless idiots for advice? "Bastard Of Christ", yeah that sure tells us how smart it would be to look at them for advice.