"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.
Things are gonna change
And not for better
Don't know what it means to me
But it's hopeless, hopeless
Got to get you home
Could be with anyone
Think of what I've done, uh
You know it all
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Everything means everything
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
The things I do possess
Sometimes they own me too
What they gonna do to me?
It's hopeless, hopeless
What I can't explain
I'm sure you'll get it well
Since I always wanted
I always wanted you
Everything is everything
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Everything means everything
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
If this is what I want
Look at what it did to me
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
If this is what you want
This is what you get instead
Everything is everything
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Everything means everything
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
And not for better
Don't know what it means to me
But it's hopeless, hopeless
Got to get you home
Could be with anyone
Think of what I've done, uh
You know it all
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Everything means everything
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
The things I do possess
Sometimes they own me too
What they gonna do to me?
It's hopeless, hopeless
What I can't explain
I'm sure you'll get it well
Since I always wanted
I always wanted you
Everything is everything
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Everything means everything
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
If this is what I want
Look at what it did to me
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
If this is what you want
This is what you get instead
Everything is everything
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Everything means everything
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
The more I talk about it
The less I do control
Riding low, riding low, riding faster
Can't understand a word
Half of the stuff I'm sayin'
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
I think it's about him, how he's usually in control but in this relationship whether it be with a friend, girl, or what have you; he's out of control. The more he gets into it, the less he can do about it. He's starting to talk about things he's never done before and he doesn't really know what he's doing. It's very hush hush (riding low, riding low, riding faster) because maybe the other person wants it that way.
Whatever it means, fantastic beat.