"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
Yeah, uh huh
What's good?
Damn, it's setting in now (so high)
'Cause cartoons are turning into real life
Lemons and limes are fighting
Fighting over straws like they were oil filled pipes
And why's the sun writing this song?
And why is this funny to me?
All of a sudden the mouse comes along
And what he sings brings harmony
You may not understand
Why there's a smile on my face
It's 'cause this world could be
Such a wonderful place
'Cause some of these companies
Two-thousand began a race
But not me man
I see a wonderful place
The world's a wonderful place
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the birds)
My soul's in my smile (look at the bees)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the skies, look at the seas)
(It's a wonderful place, yeah)
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile (look at the cars, look at the planes)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the sun, look at the stars)
The wallpapers moving
My arms and my legs leave a blur when I swipe
Sap is just oozing
The trees say, "Smoke blocks the sun"
So for them it's just night
The seven eyes lookin' through the clouds
And why is that funny to me? Uh
And here comes the mouse singing loud
And what he sings, it brings harmony
You may not understand
Why there's a smile on my face
It's 'cause this world could be
Such a wonderful place
'Cause some of these companies
Two-thousand began a race
But not me man
I see a wonderful place
The world's a wonderful place
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the birds)
My soul's in my smile (look at the bees)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the skies, look at the seas)
(It's a wonderful place, yeah)
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile (look at the cars, look at the planes)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the sun, look at the stars)
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
So she tells her man, "Let's go fishin'"
Well go tomorrow morning when the sun rise
And then she says she wants to take her kids and
That's her boy that's 12 and her daughter that's 4 with angel eyes
So they get there and the sun has barely risen
Decided on a spot where the fish is plentiful with the tide
Get out their poles daddy smiles and said the fish is jumpin'
Then they heard a splash but it sounded bigger than fish size
12 yr old screams, "Mom"
And mom screams back
The baby was holdin' your arm
Well that was 30 seconds ago
So they jumped in
All comin up with nothin'
But then
Something told mom to look toward the light
But the sun wasn't yellow
It had turned white
So she listen and swam
She swam for the light
Like the Michelin man
She swam with such might
She spotted the baby
And she was on her back
Just as the light said, "Sunrise was Heaven's track"
She turned the baby over her eyes were still blue
Baby had a smile and said
"I was waitin' for you!"
Mom I was waitin' for you
Your baby
Mama, I love you
And I was waitin' for you
Hey
I was waitin' for you
I was waiting for you
Mama
I was waiting for you
I love you ma
Yeah, uh huh
What's good?
Damn, it's setting in now (so high)
'Cause cartoons are turning into real life
Lemons and limes are fighting
Fighting over straws like they were oil filled pipes
And why's the sun writing this song?
And why is this funny to me?
All of a sudden the mouse comes along
And what he sings brings harmony
You may not understand
Why there's a smile on my face
It's 'cause this world could be
Such a wonderful place
'Cause some of these companies
Two-thousand began a race
But not me man
I see a wonderful place
The world's a wonderful place
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the birds)
My soul's in my smile (look at the bees)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the skies, look at the seas)
(It's a wonderful place, yeah)
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile (look at the cars, look at the planes)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the sun, look at the stars)
The wallpapers moving
My arms and my legs leave a blur when I swipe
Sap is just oozing
The trees say, "Smoke blocks the sun"
So for them it's just night
The seven eyes lookin' through the clouds
And why is that funny to me? Uh
And here comes the mouse singing loud
And what he sings, it brings harmony
You may not understand
Why there's a smile on my face
It's 'cause this world could be
Such a wonderful place
'Cause some of these companies
Two-thousand began a race
But not me man
I see a wonderful place
The world's a wonderful place
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the birds)
My soul's in my smile (look at the bees)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the skies, look at the seas)
(It's a wonderful place, yeah)
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile (look at the cars, look at the planes)
Don't frown, just get up, get up (look at the sun, look at the stars)
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
My soul's in my smile
Don't frown, just get up, get up
So she tells her man, "Let's go fishin'"
Well go tomorrow morning when the sun rise
And then she says she wants to take her kids and
That's her boy that's 12 and her daughter that's 4 with angel eyes
So they get there and the sun has barely risen
Decided on a spot where the fish is plentiful with the tide
Get out their poles daddy smiles and said the fish is jumpin'
Then they heard a splash but it sounded bigger than fish size
12 yr old screams, "Mom"
And mom screams back
The baby was holdin' your arm
Well that was 30 seconds ago
So they jumped in
All comin up with nothin'
But then
Something told mom to look toward the light
But the sun wasn't yellow
It had turned white
So she listen and swam
She swam for the light
Like the Michelin man
She swam with such might
She spotted the baby
And she was on her back
Just as the light said, "Sunrise was Heaven's track"
She turned the baby over her eyes were still blue
Baby had a smile and said
"I was waitin' for you!"
Mom I was waitin' for you
Your baby
Mama, I love you
And I was waitin' for you
Hey
I was waitin' for you
I was waiting for you
Mama
I was waiting for you
I love you ma
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
i love this song but it doesn't make total sense. they're talking about mice singing and wallpapers moving. i think he was high when he wrote it lol