"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.
you can say i knew it all along
that you were all i wanted
to know the pain has made you grow strong
the scars inside have made you beautiful
stop breathing for me
you said it's your right to shun dependence
and you shun
and you're scared to accept
someone to share your regrets
when you're aching
you go it alone
when you want to
you take what you need to make you whole
i know it's not easy
i know i can't feel through what you have been and trust
don't come easy
'cause to trust is to depend
and who wants to give up that part of them
you know you can have it
if you want to
i'll find you unrelated, cultivated
when you wake up incubated in me
you're free to leave
if you knew it all along
that you were all i wanted
to know the pain has made you grow strong
the scars inside have made you beautiful
stop breathing for me
you said it's your right to shun dependence
and you shun
and you're scared to accept
someone to share your regrets
when you're aching
you go it alone
when you want to
you take what you need to make you whole
i know it's not easy
i know i can't feel through what you have been and trust
don't come easy
'cause to trust is to depend
and who wants to give up that part of them
you know you can have it
if you want to
i'll find you unrelated, cultivated
when you wake up incubated in me
you're free to leave
if you knew it all along
Lyrics submitted by ADimeADexter
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
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.
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.
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.
i read the lyrics to this song before i actually heard it. i fell in love with it.. then i finally got the song and listened to it, i dont like the actual song but i love it just because of the words...
love it love it loveit
The scars inside have made you beautiful
This is one of my fav lyrics ever
My favorite Midtown song.
"And trust don't come easy, cause to trust is to depend. And who wants to give up that part of them?"
Awesome!
i think this song is about someone whose scared to commit..."youre scared to accept someone to share your regrets"...that proves it...right?
I can't really say what this song means to me, because I can't really relate 100%, but I think it is Midtown's best regardless. I think it may be about someone that is scared to commit.
I love the breakdown at the end, when they bust out the Knew it all alongs. That is my favorite midtown moment by far.
"the pain has made you grow strong the scars inside have made you beautiful stop"...i luv that part of this song,but the whole thing is awesome. i love it!:)
oops i dint mean 4 'stop' 2 be in that quote...haha i suck.
i absolutely love this song. the lyrics on this entire cd (save the world, lose the girl) are amazing.
i love midtown, this is one of the best songs, that Ive heard anyway. The lyrics are wicked... as is the music. Love it