"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.
I'm not awake
But I'm not dead
The drugs are late
Lost my money again
They never gave you anything
You'd think you get the fucking point
I'll laugh until I'm fucking killed
I see the point but I can't find a way
To get through this fucking mental hell!!!
I'm not alright, but I'm OK
[x2]
All hail the pessimist
All hail the anarchist
All hail the rest that never gave
A motherfuckin' shit
It's killing season
Time to celebrate
What better way than to
Rid the world of all the walking waste
Wanna see it
I'll show you something
A middle finger
With a barrel and it's fucking cocked
I got a new way
So you can fuck yourself
Kill the motherfucker - all that I think about, yeah!
I'm not alright, but I'm OK
[x2]
Sometimes
You gotta voice your revenge
Or you're better off dead
You'll lose your fucking mind
Sometimes
You gotta look at yourself
See the world inside out
And scream out loud
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
And that's all that I think about [x2]
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Cause we all need to scream out loud
I'm not alright, but I'm OK
[x2]
I found the easy way to die
Just educate myself and pretend
All I've learned's untrue
And yeah, I know that
All I'll lose is you
Have you ever loved something
That never seemed to
Have a face at all
It just screams out loud.....yeah!
It always cures the pain that would never leave
Then causes even more
It just screams out loud
But never goes away!
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
And that's all that I think about
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
But I'm not dead
The drugs are late
Lost my money again
They never gave you anything
You'd think you get the fucking point
I'll laugh until I'm fucking killed
I see the point but I can't find a way
To get through this fucking mental hell!!!
I'm not alright, but I'm OK
[x2]
All hail the pessimist
All hail the anarchist
All hail the rest that never gave
A motherfuckin' shit
It's killing season
Time to celebrate
What better way than to
Rid the world of all the walking waste
Wanna see it
I'll show you something
A middle finger
With a barrel and it's fucking cocked
I got a new way
So you can fuck yourself
Kill the motherfucker - all that I think about, yeah!
I'm not alright, but I'm OK
[x2]
Sometimes
You gotta voice your revenge
Or you're better off dead
You'll lose your fucking mind
Sometimes
You gotta look at yourself
See the world inside out
And scream out loud
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
And that's all that I think about [x2]
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Cause we all need to scream out loud
I'm not alright, but I'm OK
[x2]
I found the easy way to die
Just educate myself and pretend
All I've learned's untrue
And yeah, I know that
All I'll lose is you
Have you ever loved something
That never seemed to
Have a face at all
It just screams out loud.....yeah!
It always cures the pain that would never leave
Then causes even more
It just screams out loud
But never goes away!
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
And that's all that I think about
That motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Kill that motherfucker
Lyrics submitted by Hardcore_Icon
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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"
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I can see what he's saying about drugs "it always cures the pain" and then "causes even more" like it gets you high in the moment, but fucks your life up beyond belief. Except weed. Weed is good :)