"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.
Drove downtown in the rain
Nine-thirty on a Tuesday night
Just to check out the late-night record shop
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive
Call it insane
But when I'm surrounded I just can't stop
It's a matter of instinct
It's a matter of conditioning and a matter of fact
You can call me Pavlov's Dog
Ring a bell and I'll salivate
How'd you like that?
Dr. Landy tell me you're not just a pedagogue
'Cause right now I'm lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
So I'm lying here
Just staring at the ceiling tiles
And I'm thinking about, oh what to think about
Just listening and relistening
To Smiley Smile
And I'm wondering if this is some kind of creative drought
Because I'm lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am Lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did, whoa
And if you want to find me
I'll be out in the sandbox
Just wondering where the hell all the love has gone
I'm playing my guitar and building
Castles in the sun, oh oh oh
And singing "Fun, Fun, Fun"
Lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did, whoa
I had a dream
That I was three hundred pounds
And though I was very heavy
I floated 'til I couldn't see the ground
I floated 'til I couldn't see the ground
Somebody, I couldn't see the ground
Somebody, I couldn't see the ground
Somebody help me
Because I'm lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did, yeah
Drove downtown in the rain
Nine-thirty on a Tuesday night
Just to check out the late-night record shop
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive
You can call it insane, oh oh
But when I'm surrounded
I just can't stop
Nine-thirty on a Tuesday night
Just to check out the late-night record shop
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive
Call it insane
But when I'm surrounded I just can't stop
It's a matter of instinct
It's a matter of conditioning and a matter of fact
You can call me Pavlov's Dog
Ring a bell and I'll salivate
How'd you like that?
Dr. Landy tell me you're not just a pedagogue
'Cause right now I'm lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
So I'm lying here
Just staring at the ceiling tiles
And I'm thinking about, oh what to think about
Just listening and relistening
To Smiley Smile
And I'm wondering if this is some kind of creative drought
Because I'm lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am Lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did, whoa
And if you want to find me
I'll be out in the sandbox
Just wondering where the hell all the love has gone
I'm playing my guitar and building
Castles in the sun, oh oh oh
And singing "Fun, Fun, Fun"
Lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did, whoa
I had a dream
That I was three hundred pounds
And though I was very heavy
I floated 'til I couldn't see the ground
I floated 'til I couldn't see the ground
Somebody, I couldn't see the ground
Somebody, I couldn't see the ground
Somebody help me
Because I'm lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did
Well I am lying in bed
Just like Brian Wilson did, yeah
Drove downtown in the rain
Nine-thirty on a Tuesday night
Just to check out the late-night record shop
Call it impulsive, call it compulsive
You can call it insane, oh oh
But when I'm surrounded
I just can't stop
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
The thing that appeals to my song is how it contains Wilson's history and song/album titles. The reference to Dr. Landry refers to the psychiatric guru that lived at Wilson's house, and (many feel) took advantage of Brian's mental sickness and addictions (a pedagogue is both the master and teacher of a person -- sort of like a cult or religious leader, or in this case, a pychiatric leader). The ref about the sandbox is true -- Wilson actually DID have a big sandbox in his house, to try to inspire creativity. Also, the line about him being in bed refers to the fact that there a period of time where Wilson couldn't leave his bed -- he was depressed and on coke/alcohol to a degree that he sat in bed, eating, doing drugs, and gaining lots of weight.
His creativity was so constipated that he couldn't move. He became depressed right after his father's death (a man who was both abusive and controlling -- point in case, "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" was written after a big fight between Brian and his dad, where his dad basically called him an immature child - despite his musical success). Wilson also had mental problems due to a couple bad acid trips. His wife took their two daughters (Wendy and Carnie) and left him, after he (in a drunken, stoned state) gave Carnie (then a young child) a toke of marijuana. Go figure. ;-)
Anyway, I love the musical refs -- Smiley Smile was a 1967 album by the Beach Boys (featuring "Good Vibrations" - a song written after the death of his mother, which Wilson considers one of his greatest songs). The line about building castles in the sun might be a reference to the song "Mount Vernon and Fairway" - or maybe it's just another reference to Brian's zen attack on his writer's block through play in the sandbox. "Fun Fun Fun" was a song of the Beach Boys.