"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.
Zehn schwere Stiefel
œber Grund blutgetränkt
Im Gleichschritt marschieren
Diese fìnf Krieger
Es ist Ihnen gleich
Wie sehr Ihre Wunden
Von feindlichen Schwertern geschlagen
Bis auf die Knochen schmerzen
Die herbeigesehnte Rache
Begangen in Blut
Keine Gnade gezeigt
Keine Gnade gezeigt
Den Schmerz verleugnend
Der wie ein Hammer pocht
Erlitten durch Stìrze
Von erschlagenen Pferden
Kein Anschein von Schwäche
Noch Behutsamkeit
Nicht einmal ein Funke
Von Reue in Ihren Augen
Sie erschlugen die Männer
Nährten Wölfe mit Fleisch
Und jetzt verlassen Sie
Dieses Land Seite an Seite
Jetzt auf dem Heimweg
Fìnf Krieger die ohne Reue kämpften
Diese Geschichte von fìnf tapferen Männern
Wird ewiglich erzählt werden
Nur das Leid bleibt
Nur den Frauen allein
Die Kinder wehklagen
Von nun an lebend in Furcht
Kein Mann bleibt verschont
Kein Haus kein Hof verblieb
Keine Christin ungeschändet
Ihre Kirche von Flammen verzehrt
Rot scheint Ihr Stahl
Von Feindesblut
Erzählend vom Sieg
Der von den Göttern geschenkt
Als Sie wiederkehren
Blutend doch stolz
Brennt der Horizont
Und das Lied erklingt laut
[English translation:]
Ten heavy feet
Walks the bloodsoiled ground
With rhythm these
Five warriors march
No matter how much
The bleeding wounds
From enemy swordcuts
Hurts to the bone
The revenge they sought
Was taken in blood
No mercy was showed
No mercy was showed
They ignore the pain
That hammerlike pounds
From falls, off slain
Horses, to the ground
No signs of weakness
No signs of weariness
Not even a glimce
Of remorse in their eyes
They slew men ruthless
Fed the wolves with flesh
And now they leave
This land side by side
Now they're headed home
Five swordsmen who fought repentlessly
Their story will be told
Of five brave men endlessly
All sorrow is left
For the woman to bare
The children cries
They live in fear
No man was spread
No houses or farm remains
No christian woman unraped
Their church consumed by flames
Their steel shines red
With enemy blood
It sings of victory
Granted by the Gods
And as they return
Bleeding but proud
The horizon burns
And the song is ringing loud
œber Grund blutgetränkt
Im Gleichschritt marschieren
Diese fìnf Krieger
Es ist Ihnen gleich
Wie sehr Ihre Wunden
Von feindlichen Schwertern geschlagen
Bis auf die Knochen schmerzen
Die herbeigesehnte Rache
Begangen in Blut
Keine Gnade gezeigt
Keine Gnade gezeigt
Den Schmerz verleugnend
Der wie ein Hammer pocht
Erlitten durch Stìrze
Von erschlagenen Pferden
Kein Anschein von Schwäche
Noch Behutsamkeit
Nicht einmal ein Funke
Von Reue in Ihren Augen
Sie erschlugen die Männer
Nährten Wölfe mit Fleisch
Und jetzt verlassen Sie
Dieses Land Seite an Seite
Jetzt auf dem Heimweg
Fìnf Krieger die ohne Reue kämpften
Diese Geschichte von fìnf tapferen Männern
Wird ewiglich erzählt werden
Nur das Leid bleibt
Nur den Frauen allein
Die Kinder wehklagen
Von nun an lebend in Furcht
Kein Mann bleibt verschont
Kein Haus kein Hof verblieb
Keine Christin ungeschändet
Ihre Kirche von Flammen verzehrt
Rot scheint Ihr Stahl
Von Feindesblut
Erzählend vom Sieg
Der von den Göttern geschenkt
Als Sie wiederkehren
Blutend doch stolz
Brennt der Horizont
Und das Lied erklingt laut
[English translation:]
Ten heavy feet
Walks the bloodsoiled ground
With rhythm these
Five warriors march
No matter how much
The bleeding wounds
From enemy swordcuts
Hurts to the bone
The revenge they sought
Was taken in blood
No mercy was showed
No mercy was showed
They ignore the pain
That hammerlike pounds
From falls, off slain
Horses, to the ground
No signs of weakness
No signs of weariness
Not even a glimce
Of remorse in their eyes
They slew men ruthless
Fed the wolves with flesh
And now they leave
This land side by side
Now they're headed home
Five swordsmen who fought repentlessly
Their story will be told
Of five brave men endlessly
All sorrow is left
For the woman to bare
The children cries
They live in fear
No man was spread
No houses or farm remains
No christian woman unraped
Their church consumed by flames
Their steel shines red
With enemy blood
It sings of victory
Granted by the Gods
And as they return
Bleeding but proud
The horizon burns
And the song is ringing loud
Lyrics submitted by ricoetc
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
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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/
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.
Destroy the enemy, burn their churches, leave nothing untouched. Return to your land like a boss and be thankful that you and your friends aren't dead.
Simpleton.