"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'm just a junkyard now
This is my trash
They burnt me down somehow
Flicked me off like a cigarette ash
But time has come today;
Time has come today
I've been a patron saint
I've had my mouth washed out
And I've been one big complaint
I turned myself into two separate gorillas?
But time has come today;
Time has come to blow our old world away
Pulled in from abilene; found the world was sold
He paid in gold - but his hands were cold
But the man was sharp; man, this cat was cool
So we gave the jewel to a raving fool
Yeah!
They say I'm a big boy now
Come on and stand up straight
Lock up your girls and boys
Soon it will be too late
Time has come today time has come today
Time has come to blow out yesterday
Has come today time has come today
Time has come to blow our old world away
Cardboard people stand in a field made of grass.
Carved from mahogany and jade, they see you and all start to laugh.
The eyes that they live through will roll as they give you the task.
Steeped in a slumber, they tell you your number is one;
And the proper ladies blow smoke from their mouths like a gun.
They smile like the sun - say the race has begun, time to run... run!
Cardboard people tell you they'd love you to stay.
When the whores and sailors come it would be best to put lucky away.
You must wait for the sunset; your time hasn't come yet today.
As the sunset loves nimbus and the autumn light
We don't have to live for a fight
We can be one, it can be done!
I must leave here with the morning light
We don't have to live to be right
We can be one, this must be done!
And mommy and dad give a pat on the back but they're thinking:
"If you leave here we'll hate you
If you leave here we'll argue
If you leave here we'll hate you
We love you but we'll hate you if you leave"
Then you're hunkerin' down in mid-town with your brothers
And soon they'll all looking your way
We can survive,
Just stay alive
And you think it's a crime but you know that it's time to be leaving
"If you leave here we'll hate you
If you leave here we'll argue
If you leave here we'll hate you
We love you but we'll hate you if you leave"
I'm just an old man now
I eat your trash
I'll make it back somehow
Take off at long last yeah!
Time has come today
Time has come to blow our old world away
Time has come today
Time has come to blow our old world away
Let's blow our old world away!
This is my trash
They burnt me down somehow
Flicked me off like a cigarette ash
But time has come today;
Time has come today
I've been a patron saint
I've had my mouth washed out
And I've been one big complaint
I turned myself into two separate gorillas?
But time has come today;
Time has come to blow our old world away
Pulled in from abilene; found the world was sold
He paid in gold - but his hands were cold
But the man was sharp; man, this cat was cool
So we gave the jewel to a raving fool
Yeah!
They say I'm a big boy now
Come on and stand up straight
Lock up your girls and boys
Soon it will be too late
Time has come today time has come today
Time has come to blow out yesterday
Has come today time has come today
Time has come to blow our old world away
Cardboard people stand in a field made of grass.
Carved from mahogany and jade, they see you and all start to laugh.
The eyes that they live through will roll as they give you the task.
Steeped in a slumber, they tell you your number is one;
And the proper ladies blow smoke from their mouths like a gun.
They smile like the sun - say the race has begun, time to run... run!
Cardboard people tell you they'd love you to stay.
When the whores and sailors come it would be best to put lucky away.
You must wait for the sunset; your time hasn't come yet today.
As the sunset loves nimbus and the autumn light
We don't have to live for a fight
We can be one, it can be done!
I must leave here with the morning light
We don't have to live to be right
We can be one, this must be done!
And mommy and dad give a pat on the back but they're thinking:
"If you leave here we'll hate you
If you leave here we'll argue
If you leave here we'll hate you
We love you but we'll hate you if you leave"
Then you're hunkerin' down in mid-town with your brothers
And soon they'll all looking your way
We can survive,
Just stay alive
And you think it's a crime but you know that it's time to be leaving
"If you leave here we'll hate you
If you leave here we'll argue
If you leave here we'll hate you
We love you but we'll hate you if you leave"
I'm just an old man now
I eat your trash
I'll make it back somehow
Take off at long last yeah!
Time has come today
Time has come to blow our old world away
Time has come today
Time has come to blow our old world away
Let's blow our old world away!
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
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"
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”
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.