"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.
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride
Yeah (asking why)
I think about your face
And how I fall into your eyes
The outline that I trace
Around the one that I call mine
Time that called for space
Unclear where you drew the line
I don't need to solve this case
And I don't need to look behind
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side,
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride
Yeah, asking why
Do I expect to change
The past I hold inside
With all the words I say
Repeating over in my mind
Some things you can't erase
No matter how hard you try
An exit to escape
Is all there is left to find
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo, in my mind
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo, can subside
So I close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go, of this pride
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo in my mind
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo can subside
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride
Yeah (asking why)
I think about your face
And how I fall into your eyes
The outline that I trace
Around the one that I call mine
Time that called for space
Unclear where you drew the line
I don't need to solve this case
And I don't need to look behind
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side,
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride
Yeah, asking why
Do I expect to change
The past I hold inside
With all the words I say
Repeating over in my mind
Some things you can't erase
No matter how hard you try
An exit to escape
Is all there is left to find
Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go of this pride
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo, in my mind
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo, can subside
So I close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side
I need to let go, let go, let go, let go, of this pride
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo in my mind
Until this echo, echo, echo, echo can subside
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Jane's Addiction
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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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
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.
basically the same as the shorter version... i think its about a girl who brok up with him and he still wants to be with her... and feels so lonely and when he calls for her, he only hears his echo and stuff but he doesnt like it... and his pride may have been the reason they broke up... so he wants to let go of it and hes trying to erase the past that she didnt like, but he cant or whatever andy ways GREAT SONG if you get a chance to listen to this version do it because i think its better then the other one... but they are both really goos... TRAPT ROCKS!!
I agree. It seems like she said they needed time apart and eventually things just never worked out. Now he wants to go back and change it all, but it's pretty much pointless because no matter what, it'll end up the same way.
I'm probably wrong, but oh well.
Longer version?
well, compared to the other lyrics..this set is just completely typed out
but I've heard the 'longer' version, theres a part where Chris is singing 'you know i've always loved you'
Where can I find this 'longer' version?
I love song! I think 'bout Grant everytime I hear this song!!
Love this song en i totally agree with grlatdarocksho22..
well in my opinion, he was in a relationship he took fer granted, he did something wrong to the girl because of what ppl thought, en it would hurt his pride..little did he know that he didn't hurt his pride, but hurt the girl instead..
pretty touching boyfriend isn't he..? well moving on..
he didn't notice that he hurt her, until she wanted time off..then he FINALLY realizes his big mistake.. he closes his eyes, trying to make it all a dream..no wait, scratch that..he tried to make it all seem a nightmare that he can awake from anytime he wanted..but noo..it wasn't a dream OR a nightmare..it wnt pass him by..soo he tried to make the most of it by trying to run away from his probs..and imagine that the girl was with him..running away by his side..away to where ppl wnt judge them..
wooow..well i mite be wrong..remember this is my OPINION(:
I have always liked this song but now i reminds me of this guy I talked to still friends for som reason we always end up talkin anyways he came over n this song came on n i tried to change it so it wouldn be awkward but he was like leave it aha n now that i listen to it, it makes sense we strarted off best friends n ended up fallin for each other but I kno him so well n his past was somethin i always thought of cos he was with alot of girls but he tells me were always gonna be friends n he even talks about meeting me up in my life and iving with me i kno sounds like bull! ha but thas basically wat the song is this guy cant let go no matter how hard he tries, and no matter how his past is he still wants this girl and for her to see past it. typical guy ahah doesn kno wat he wants,he wants to be with her but theres always somethin that comes in the way
I have a different perspective because my current love dedicates this song to me all the time. In our scenario I believe it represents excruciating betrayal, hurt and pain from a past relationship and the recognition that fear and pride kept the speaker from going with his heart because he was afraid of opening up getting hurt again. He pushed his current love away for a long time but now wishes he hadn’t. The speaker still struggles with devastating pain from the past, but does not want the past back again. He wants to move forward with his current love, which he feels is the greatest love of all time, all the while recognizing his pride still gets in the way.