"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.
Down south soldier
Third world soldier
My vengeance will be swift and terrible
Many will die
I am the distance between two points
Forgotten, a void
I dig holes brother
Well, I've got a bone to pick
And a nerve to pluck
A skin to get under
And a home to wreck
I've got ends to meet
So I've got a job to do
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Stick to your guns
The difference is mine are loaded
Taste the sting of your arrogance
Stuck in this screeching bitch called life
Drop the coins and send you down to Charon
I will have my vengeance
In this life or the next
Well, I've got a sucker to punch
And a back to stab
A head to kick in
And a throat to slit
I've got a job to do
Harsh and unrepentant
I've got a job to do
Harsh and unrepentant
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Step back before you're the next to get served
With some southern hospitality
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Step back before you're the next to get served
With some southern hospitality
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Third world soldier
My vengeance will be swift and terrible
Many will die
I am the distance between two points
Forgotten, a void
I dig holes brother
Well, I've got a bone to pick
And a nerve to pluck
A skin to get under
And a home to wreck
I've got ends to meet
So I've got a job to do
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Stick to your guns
The difference is mine are loaded
Taste the sting of your arrogance
Stuck in this screeching bitch called life
Drop the coins and send you down to Charon
I will have my vengeance
In this life or the next
Well, I've got a sucker to punch
And a back to stab
A head to kick in
And a throat to slit
I've got a job to do
Harsh and unrepentant
I've got a job to do
Harsh and unrepentant
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Step back before you're the next to get served
With some southern hospitality
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
Step back before you're the next to get served
With some southern hospitality
Acrimonious and sanctified
Call me what you will
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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”
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.
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,
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/
bush is the next anti-christ in gods country...