"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.
I don't know, bet you wanna try
Every time you see
Do you remember
When we fell in love?
We were young and innocent then
Do you remember
How it all began?
It just seemed like heaven, so why did it end?
Do you remember
Back in the fall?
We'd be together all day long
Do you remember
Us holding hands?
In each other's eyes, we'd stare
Tell me
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
When we first met, girl?
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
Do you remember
How we used to talk?
You know
We'd stay on the phone at night 'til dawn
Do you remember
All the things we said?
Like, I love you so, I'll never let you go
Do you remember
Back in the Spring?
Every morning birds would sing
Do you remember
Those special times?
They'll just go on and on
In the back of my mind
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
When we first met, girl?
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
Those sweet memories
Will always be dear to me
And girl, no matter what was said
I will never forget what we had
Now baby
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
When we first met, girl?
Do you remember the time (oh, I)
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
(Remember, my baby)
Do you remember the time ('cause I remember)
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
(All in my mind, girl)
Do you remember the time (oh, I)
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
(Remember, my baby)
Remember the time
Woo
Remember the time
Do you remember, girl?
Remember the time
On the phone, you and me
Remember the time?
'Til dawn, two or three
What about us, girl?
Remember the time
Do you, do you, do you, do you, do you
Remember the time
In the park, on the beach
Remember the time
You and me in Spain
What about, what about
Remember the time
Remember the time
Ooh, in the park
Remember the time
After dark
Do you, do you, do you
Remember the time
Do you, do you, do you, do you
Remember the time
Yeah, yeah, woo
Remember the time
Every time you see
Do you remember
When we fell in love?
We were young and innocent then
Do you remember
How it all began?
It just seemed like heaven, so why did it end?
Do you remember
Back in the fall?
We'd be together all day long
Do you remember
Us holding hands?
In each other's eyes, we'd stare
Tell me
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
When we first met, girl?
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
Do you remember
How we used to talk?
You know
We'd stay on the phone at night 'til dawn
Do you remember
All the things we said?
Like, I love you so, I'll never let you go
Do you remember
Back in the Spring?
Every morning birds would sing
Do you remember
Those special times?
They'll just go on and on
In the back of my mind
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
When we first met, girl?
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
Those sweet memories
Will always be dear to me
And girl, no matter what was said
I will never forget what we had
Now baby
Do you remember the time
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
When we first met, girl?
Do you remember the time (oh, I)
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
(Remember, my baby)
Do you remember the time ('cause I remember)
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
(All in my mind, girl)
Do you remember the time (oh, I)
When we fell in love?
Do you remember the time
(Remember, my baby)
Remember the time
Woo
Remember the time
Do you remember, girl?
Remember the time
On the phone, you and me
Remember the time?
'Til dawn, two or three
What about us, girl?
Remember the time
Do you, do you, do you, do you, do you
Remember the time
In the park, on the beach
Remember the time
You and me in Spain
What about, what about
Remember the time
Remember the time
Ooh, in the park
Remember the time
After dark
Do you, do you, do you
Remember the time
Do you, do you, do you, do you
Remember the time
Yeah, yeah, woo
Remember the time
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
This song brings back memories for me for a completely different reason than it's supposed to, lol.
I was a kid when this came out and I LOVED it. I loved the video too. I thought it was so cool how he turned into sand in the video and I loved the scatting part. ddddaap dapadad