"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.
Yeah?
They were sure I was guilty, but I committed no crime
They said: confessions bring lenience, so that put me on the line
So I, protest the massacres at the Talliman Square
My friends say yo, stay away man, you better not go fucking back there
Oh.
Watch this
One night I might write about my opinions about the state
And the freedom of expression they would never tolerate
And the, military secrets that I never did steal
I didn't start no violence, no, and there was nobody that I killed
No.
So I had a clear account of all abusers of power
And the memories of homeland all gone sour
And I only got one weapon, it's so plain for me to see
My only weapon I call, poetry
And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai
Now, in a world of privilege I was not born
But, the devotion of freedom and liberty I was sworn
So, every emotion is studied, watched their control
Who gets paid, who gets disciplined, who gets born
So, transmitting beams my coordinates, anywhere on Earth
And, as radio waves, surveillance, satellite bursts
Open up your skull and let some knowledge come in
Yeah, crack open the cranium and let awareness begin
Oh.
And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai
When I was arrested in Shanghai
When I was arrested in Shanghai
Woo!
They were sure I was guilty, but I committed no crime
They said: confessions bring lenience, so that put me on the line
So I, protest the massacres at the Talliman Square
My friends say yo, stay away man, you better not go fucking back there
Oh.
Watch this
One night I might write about my opinions about the state
And the freedom of expression they would never tolerate
And the, military secrets that I never did steal
I didn't start no violence, no, and there was nobody that I killed
No.
So I had a clear account of all abusers of power
And the memories of homeland all gone sour
And I only got one weapon, it's so plain for me to see
My only weapon I call, poetry
And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai
Now, in a world of privilege I was not born
But, the devotion of freedom and liberty I was sworn
So, every emotion is studied, watched their control
Who gets paid, who gets disciplined, who gets born
So, transmitting beams my coordinates, anywhere on Earth
And, as radio waves, surveillance, satellite bursts
Open up your skull and let some knowledge come in
Yeah, crack open the cranium and let awareness begin
Oh.
And I don't even know why
The truth seems like a lie
In my cell there is no sky
When I was arrested in Shanghai
When I was arrested in Shanghai
When I was arrested in Shanghai
Woo!
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Fast Car
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I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I guess the Protests at Tiennemen sqaure is an extreme example of the message of "standing up"