"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.
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
Well you know that it's going to be alright
When we go shopping
It's always, la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
The shopping spree begins
La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
Everybody wins
So shut up
And never stop
Let's shop
Until we drop
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright (alright)
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
It's always la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
The shopping never ends
It's always la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
Shopping with our friends
Shopping once again
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's never enough
Until you've got all the stuff
When the going gets rough
Just shop with somebody tough
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright (alright)
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright (alright)
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
It's always
When we go shopping
When we go shopping
When we go shopping
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la
I think it's gonna be alright
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
Well you know that it's going to be alright
When we go shopping
It's always, la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
The shopping spree begins
La-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
Everybody wins
So shut up
And never stop
Let's shop
Until we drop
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright (alright)
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
It's always la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
The shopping never ends
It's always la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
Shopping with our friends
Shopping once again
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
It's never enough
Until you've got all the stuff
When the going gets rough
Just shop with somebody tough
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright (alright)
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
Well you know that it's going to be alright
I think it's gonna be alright (alright)
Everything will always be alright
When we go shopping
It's always
When we go shopping
When we go shopping
When we go shopping
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
It's always la-la-la-la-la
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
When things are bad buy things to distract yourself.