"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't sit up
You fell too fast
You come at the right time
You come too fast
You bloom in spring
You move the sky
You've come in singing
You call me a liar
You were like a cloud
Yes you are a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
You were like a flower
You were just like a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
Don't give up (I owe you?)
No don't give up
Oh don't give up
Don't give up (I owe you?)
You were like a cloud
Yes you were a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
You were like a cloud
You were just like a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
Here I feel I wish I could just see it
The love the hate the things that separate
Forcing conscious to conscious every small attack
It takes a small man to notice but not to act up
Confrontation complication needs a foundation
I'm calm baby, I'm calm
You were like a cloud
Yes you are a flower you move I love life is all we need
Then you were a lime
Now our love is so sour you move I love life is all we need
So sour?
So sour?
Don't give up
No don't give up
Oh don't give up
No don't give up
Start again butterfly
Start again butterfly
Start again butterfly
Start again, start again dear
You fell too fast
You come at the right time
You come too fast
You bloom in spring
You move the sky
You've come in singing
You call me a liar
You were like a cloud
Yes you are a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
You were like a flower
You were just like a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
Don't give up (I owe you?)
No don't give up
Oh don't give up
Don't give up (I owe you?)
You were like a cloud
Yes you were a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
You were like a cloud
You were just like a flower
Then you were a lime
Now our love is sour
Here I feel I wish I could just see it
The love the hate the things that separate
Forcing conscious to conscious every small attack
It takes a small man to notice but not to act up
Confrontation complication needs a foundation
I'm calm baby, I'm calm
You were like a cloud
Yes you are a flower you move I love life is all we need
Then you were a lime
Now our love is so sour you move I love life is all we need
So sour?
So sour?
Don't give up
No don't give up
Oh don't give up
No don't give up
Start again butterfly
Start again butterfly
Start again butterfly
Start again, start again dear
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
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”
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,
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.
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/
I think it says butterfly, it doesnt even sound like buttercup to me. But this is a band of such genius that its hard to say what the best song that they have put out is. Not only the lyrics which are genius, but the music behind the lyrics also. Not to beat a dead horse, but I think the song is about basically that feeling that you get when you meet someone and you think there the best thing in the world. Then you all either start to grow on each other, or they start to show the true them. But you dont want to give up just yet in desperate hopes to maybe get that "brand new" feeling again. Pretty basic stuff, only written in utmost complexity.