"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.
It was supposed to be so easy...
Just take back the DVD
Withdraw that extra money
Tell mum I wouldn't be back for tea
Then grab my savings and hurry
So first to get the film back in time
To avoid that big fine
I had to do a fast hill climb
But a faster decline
But I flew a bit quick
Arms like a lunatic
Had to stop for a few ticks
I started feeling sick
Got to the video shop in a state
But chuffed it, wouldn't be late
Only when he flicked open the case
I'd left the disc at my place
[Chorus]
Today I have achieved absolutely naught
In just being out of the house, I've lost out
If I wanted to end up with more now
I should have just stayed in bed like I know how
So I failed on the DVD
But I still had to get the money
Tell mum I couldn't make tea
Get the savings and then hurry
Rushin' to the cash machine
Still a bit mashed and lean
Then of course a mandatory car
Drives by and splashes me
Get there the queue's outrageous
Ladies taking ages
My rage is blowing gauges
How long's it take to validate your wages?
At last my turn comes
Press the 50 squid button: Insufficient funds
[Chorus]
So I failed on the DVD
Couldn't withdraw any money
But I still had to call mum
Get the savings, and then hurry
So to call mum so that
I could tell her I can't go and that
At least I remembered my phone, man
I didn't know her number offhand
Where's my phone, have I got it?
Oh this is a crock of shit!
I lost the fucking thing
Wait, wait, it's in my pocket
But the batteries nearly flat
Got to call, quick snap
Aww shit, the battery is flat
[Chorus]
So I've failed on the DVD
Couldn't withdraw any money
Or call mum about tea
I'll have to get the savings and hurry
But where was the money?
I knew I'd left it on the
Side, next to the telly
This is not even funny
I left it in the living room
Ready to pick up as soon
As I passed through
On the way out to the rendezvous
So the shoebox full of money
Just disappearing from me
That's not what I call funny
+A grand don't come for free+
[Chorus]
Oy, soaked to the bone in me jeans
You want me to stop?
I imagine my mum's weeping right now
And the thousand pounds you swore
That I left on the table this morn
Has simply disappeared before my eyes, his eyes, and yours
And I'm a thousand pounds poorer
Hundred thousand pennies, no more
A thousandth of a million squid
Or two monkeys
Or a whole fifty scores
Gone, withdrawn, from my life
The money is no more for sure
It was supposed to be so easy...
Just take back the DVD
Withdraw that extra money
Tell mum I wouldn't be back for tea
Then grab my savings and hurry
So first to get the film back in time
To avoid that big fine
I had to do a fast hill climb
But a faster decline
But I flew a bit quick
Arms like a lunatic
Had to stop for a few ticks
I started feeling sick
Got to the video shop in a state
But chuffed it, wouldn't be late
Only when he flicked open the case
I'd left the disc at my place
[Chorus]
Today I have achieved absolutely naught
In just being out of the house, I've lost out
If I wanted to end up with more now
I should have just stayed in bed like I know how
So I failed on the DVD
But I still had to get the money
Tell mum I couldn't make tea
Get the savings and then hurry
Rushin' to the cash machine
Still a bit mashed and lean
Then of course a mandatory car
Drives by and splashes me
Get there the queue's outrageous
Ladies taking ages
My rage is blowing gauges
How long's it take to validate your wages?
At last my turn comes
Press the 50 squid button: Insufficient funds
[Chorus]
So I failed on the DVD
Couldn't withdraw any money
But I still had to call mum
Get the savings, and then hurry
So to call mum so that
I could tell her I can't go and that
At least I remembered my phone, man
I didn't know her number offhand
Where's my phone, have I got it?
Oh this is a crock of shit!
I lost the fucking thing
Wait, wait, it's in my pocket
But the batteries nearly flat
Got to call, quick snap
Aww shit, the battery is flat
[Chorus]
So I've failed on the DVD
Couldn't withdraw any money
Or call mum about tea
I'll have to get the savings and hurry
But where was the money?
I knew I'd left it on the
Side, next to the telly
This is not even funny
I left it in the living room
Ready to pick up as soon
As I passed through
On the way out to the rendezvous
So the shoebox full of money
Just disappearing from me
That's not what I call funny
+A grand don't come for free+
[Chorus]
Oy, soaked to the bone in me jeans
You want me to stop?
I imagine my mum's weeping right now
And the thousand pounds you swore
That I left on the table this morn
Has simply disappeared before my eyes, his eyes, and yours
And I'm a thousand pounds poorer
Hundred thousand pennies, no more
A thousandth of a million squid
Or two monkeys
Or a whole fifty scores
Gone, withdrawn, from my life
The money is no more for sure
It was supposed to be so easy...
Lyrics submitted by femmesofrussia
It Was Supposed to Be So Easy Lyrics as written by Michael Geoffrey Skinner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
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Little Feat
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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”
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Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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/
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
dis is a brill song. its really catchy nd it finishes abruptly which is really effective. its lousy on him cos he wanted 2 do something but cudn't nd he's really pissed off bout it!!!
Cool song really cool
Cool song really cool
like i might've said earlier, Psychotic Bitch had better be British otherwise she has no excuse for talking like that. It's annoying
pumkinhed, thank you. i agree wholeheartedly. british or not, she's obviously a fucking sped.
Some lyrics are wrong;
Yeah. Funny this is.
such a good way to start off the album... i should have just stayed in bed like i know how
I had to Google "sped". I'm glad I did, because now my vocabulary has been further enriched. ^_^
I hate days like this, where you basically waste your whole day. You might as well just stayed home relaxing. Everything you set out to accomplish went undone. You finally get home and think to yourself "Fuck I shoulda stayed here" because your at the same place as when you started.