"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.
Are we running so far
From facing the numbers who
Crash in an empty room?
False visions we search
And reflections consume
But the mirror is everyone's tomb
What we'll find, the waste of time
Self-hating days in the image maze
Losing sight of our roots in the empty shells
Where everyone fights themselves
Everyone fights themselves
We're tired of looking out from blank eyes
I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, and watch the good life in the window
Blank eyes, I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, another answer for our crimes
And I get so tired of waiting for it
To find the truth in everything rejected
And I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Another day between the lines
Rooftop to rooftop, screaming out into the sky
We fight the war inside us
Turning answers into questions
Through all this vanity we'll fight 'til soul rebuild
Fools gold, what we've had
The symptoms of a world gone mad
The world lies, the masses cry
Children's lives spent sewing up our cheap disguise
Losing sight of out roots in the cathode rays
Amnesia for the end of our days
Amnesia for the end of our days
We're tired of looking out from blank eyes
I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, until it's nothing special
Blank eyes, I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, another answer for our crimes
And I get so tired of waiting for it
To find the truth in everything rejected
And I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Another day between the lines
We're all gone dead, what we reject
We're all gone dead, what we reject
We're all gone dead, what we reject
Wake up everyone
Blank eyes, tired of waiting
Outside, here I am
Blank eyes, tired of waiting, tired of wasting all away
Outside, here I am
From facing the numbers who
Crash in an empty room?
False visions we search
And reflections consume
But the mirror is everyone's tomb
What we'll find, the waste of time
Self-hating days in the image maze
Losing sight of our roots in the empty shells
Where everyone fights themselves
Everyone fights themselves
We're tired of looking out from blank eyes
I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, and watch the good life in the window
Blank eyes, I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, another answer for our crimes
And I get so tired of waiting for it
To find the truth in everything rejected
And I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Another day between the lines
Rooftop to rooftop, screaming out into the sky
We fight the war inside us
Turning answers into questions
Through all this vanity we'll fight 'til soul rebuild
Fools gold, what we've had
The symptoms of a world gone mad
The world lies, the masses cry
Children's lives spent sewing up our cheap disguise
Losing sight of out roots in the cathode rays
Amnesia for the end of our days
Amnesia for the end of our days
We're tired of looking out from blank eyes
I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, until it's nothing special
Blank eyes, I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Outside, another answer for our crimes
And I get so tired of waiting for it
To find the truth in everything rejected
And I get so tired of waiting, tired of waiting
Another day between the lines
We're all gone dead, what we reject
We're all gone dead, what we reject
We're all gone dead, what we reject
Wake up everyone
Blank eyes, tired of waiting
Outside, here I am
Blank eyes, tired of waiting, tired of wasting all away
Outside, here I am
Lyrics submitted by x_melancholy_x, edited by BlueDiamondx3
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I think this song is about globalization, mostly because the music video was. correct me if im wrong