"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.
Estaba pensando sobreviviendo
Con mi sister en New Jersey
Ella me dijo que es una vida buena alla
Bien rica bien chevere
We'll keep well bred
We'll stay well fed
We'll have our sons
They will be all well hung
They'll come and play
Their friends will say
"Your daddy's rich
Your mamma's a pretty thing"
That maid Maria
She's really okay
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
I keep getting friends looking like lesbians
If we get bored
We'll move to California
They'll come and play
Their friends will say
"Your daddy's rich
Your mamma's a pretty thing
That maid Maria
She's really okay
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Con mi sister en New Jersey
Ella me dijo que es una vida buena alla
Bien rica bien chevere
We'll keep well bred
We'll stay well fed
We'll have our sons
They will be all well hung
They'll come and play
Their friends will say
"Your daddy's rich
Your mamma's a pretty thing"
That maid Maria
She's really okay
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
I keep getting friends looking like lesbians
If we get bored
We'll move to California
They'll come and play
Their friends will say
"Your daddy's rich
Your mamma's a pretty thing
That maid Maria
She's really okay
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Vamos a jugar por la playa
Lyrics submitted by numb, edited by implode, gsleith, McKean, yapishkahilt, monkeyninja69, manolo1tristan, Sskketching
Vamos Lyrics as written by Charles Thompson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Being Hispanic! at the Disco and 900% fluent in Spanish, the beginning of the song is a little Babelfishish translation here. It goes "Estaba pensando sobre viviendo con mi sister en New Jersey. Ella me dijo que es una vida bien buena alla, bien rica, bien chevere. Y me voy! Puñeta cabrona!" which means "I was thinking about living with my sister in New Jersey. She told me life is really good there" the next bit "bien rica" can be translated to "really rich" or "really tasty" Like when someone says, "este camaron esta muuuuuy rico" it means "this shrimp is reeeeaaallly tasty" Righty-ho. Anyway. "Bien chevere" is kind of funny because, at least in Mexico, "chevere" is a sort of dorky, quaint way to say "cool" like, "it's really groovy ova thurr in New Jersey" or, "things sure are dandy/kickin'/spiffy/neat-o in NJ" I'm not really sure if this is true for South American countries, it's probably more popular there, but I know in Mexico it was more said in the 70's and now it's an old-timey folk word. Whatevz. "Y me voy!" means "So I go!" and "Puñeta cabrona!" means "Weak bitch!" more or less. I don't know who he's screaming this to? Maybe his sister? Maybe life actually really sucked in New Jersey and that bitch lied to him and it's more like a call of, "So I go! [bad things happen, regrets moving] What a bitch! What a joke!" The song all seems like what hopeful immigrants (like my parents) all think the U.S. is like from what they hear in their countries. They wish for American Dream white picket fences, hot wives, plenty of food, all while keeping tranditions and culture, It is not like that in many cases. It sounds a lot like his idea of what moving would be like ended up clashing with the reality, like maybe he met some crazy Americans ("I keep getting friends, looking like lesbians") instead. "That maid Maria, yeah, she's really OK" kind of makes me think of an American tourist in a hotel, maybe. Maybe Maria, the maid, had drugs or sumfin. I don't know. Maybe I'm really wrong.