"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.
My world's on fire
My life's overwhelming
Just breathe
You're on the next train to life without me
Time had nothing left to show so we found out
A world on fire
A life overwhelming
Do you believe in the words you said to me
As you take away everything?
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
I spend my time thinking about you
Remember when we said that this would not end?
But now you're gone
I'm still right here without you
A world on fire
A life overwhelming
Just breathe
Do you believe in the words you said to me
As you take away everything?
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
So take back what you said
This would never end
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me the words the kill
The words that kill
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
So take back what you said
This would never end
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
My life's overwhelming
Just breathe
You're on the next train to life without me
Time had nothing left to show so we found out
A world on fire
A life overwhelming
Do you believe in the words you said to me
As you take away everything?
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
I spend my time thinking about you
Remember when we said that this would not end?
But now you're gone
I'm still right here without you
A world on fire
A life overwhelming
Just breathe
Do you believe in the words you said to me
As you take away everything?
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
So take back what you said
This would never end
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me the words the kill
The words that kill
I can't believe what you're saying
So don't tell me
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
So take back what you said
This would never end
The words that kill, the words that kill
You're leaving
Lyrics submitted by ruben
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Fast Car
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Ed Sheeran
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How I'm taking this song is based on what I'm actually going through right now.
"My world's on fire My life's overwhelming Just breathe You're on the next train to life without me Time had nothing left to show so we found out A world on fire A life overwhelming"
What he's saying here is that he's miserable and he's getting overwhelmed by it. She's easily moving on without him but he's still in love with her. The last two lines are saying how he's finally finding out how it feels to be miserable.
"Do you believe in the words you said to me As you take away everything?"
He's asking her if she really thinks that what she's saying to him is really true, and the second line is saying how when she left she took everything he had with her
" I can't believe what you're saying So don't tell me The words that kill, the words that kill You're leaving"
He can't believe the words that are coming out of her mouth so he's saying not to even tell him the words that "kill" him and that she's leaving him
"I spend my time thinking about you Remember when we said that this would not end? But now you're gone I'm still right here without you A world on fire A life overwhelming Just breathe"
He's saying to her (or imagining that he is) that all he does is think about her and does she remember when they said they'd be forever. The line "but now you're gone I'm still here without you" means that she's done with the relationship and is out but he still wants to be with her. Those last repeated lines show that he isn't over this whole depressing breakup
Here they repeat the pre chorus and chorus which have the same meanings as before
"So take back what you said This would never end The words that kill, the words that kill You're leaving"
Here he's saying "Just take back all those "we'd be forever" times and words if you didn't mean them" and that him thinking of those times is what's tearing him up the most because obviously they aren't forever.
This time around he repeats the chorus slowly and heartfelt without the last line "you're leaving" as if he's trying to convince her to stay
Here he repeats the chorus as normal
"So take back what you said This would never end The words that kill, the words that kill You're leaving"
He repeats this one last time to kinda face it and when he says "You're leaving" for the last time he sounds really sad as if he's finally accepted the fact that she's gone
Personally I can relate to this pretty much word for word and that's what my interpretation was based off of