"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.
Messing with the boys in blue
Don’t you know they’ll come for you
Better find the exit wound form the flashing of the camera crews
Better tell the ones that know
Taking on the dice that roll
Boy, you haven’t got a clue
Sending out the IOU
Fashion will lead you over roads that I felt like taking over on the road
Now you’re running form the boys in blue
Better hope they don’t find you
Never knew that you had rules
Until they broke the ones you thought were true
You never saw the eyes that rolled
Never heard the legend told
I wonder if the prince got through
Imagine if the palace knew
The captain has taken over roads that I felt like taking over on the road
Why can’t we understand the history of man?
Leave every stone unturned and every bridge unburned
Why can’t we comprehend the mysteries of man?
Leave every stone unturned and every bridge unburned
These dreams, they don’t make sense
You’ll never see the gardener or the white picket fences pass the graves
Street lights dance and street lights sing
Someone cut the oxygen and took a message to the king
Announcing that he wasn’t royalty
So sing the hook
Let the music move
Why can’t we comprehend the mysteries of man on the road
Don’t you know they’ll come for you
Better find the exit wound form the flashing of the camera crews
Better tell the ones that know
Taking on the dice that roll
Boy, you haven’t got a clue
Sending out the IOU
Fashion will lead you over roads that I felt like taking over on the road
Now you’re running form the boys in blue
Better hope they don’t find you
Never knew that you had rules
Until they broke the ones you thought were true
You never saw the eyes that rolled
Never heard the legend told
I wonder if the prince got through
Imagine if the palace knew
The captain has taken over roads that I felt like taking over on the road
Why can’t we understand the history of man?
Leave every stone unturned and every bridge unburned
Why can’t we comprehend the mysteries of man?
Leave every stone unturned and every bridge unburned
These dreams, they don’t make sense
You’ll never see the gardener or the white picket fences pass the graves
Street lights dance and street lights sing
Someone cut the oxygen and took a message to the king
Announcing that he wasn’t royalty
So sing the hook
Let the music move
Why can’t we comprehend the mysteries of man on the road
Lyrics submitted by x_nicka_x
Either They Decorated For Christmas Early Or They're All Dead song meanings
Add Your Thoughts
41 Comments
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
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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 think we can all come to the conclusion that opinions are like assholes.. everyone has one but they are full of shit.
Before somebody gets on my case about searching HIL just to say that I didn't this band is pretty good. Weird as fuck lyrics, but still pretty good.
I don't get what's going on in solidstate, they're just labeling "new" (I mean "new" cause they're ALL the same)screamo girlie bands who're more concerned about the look of their faux-hawks than on their music. I'm glad Zao left!
ummm... yeah so u searched HeIsLegend and put this comment on here just o be a dick huh. and by the way Zao are posers and they can't even do that well. Have some of that. yank!
And I have a question, can u name me one band on SolidState who have members with "Faux-Hawks"....
What is so horrid about the new solid state bands? They play what they want to play, and thier music sounds like they want it to sound.
Ohhhh willie yes I did search these assholes just to comment on how much they suck, any problem with that? "yank". And the new kids are horrid because they're not punk, they're not hardcore, they're not avant-garde. They're -guess what- posers unlike ZAO, which wolfie above mentioned.
they're not Avant Garde? Avant-fuckin-garde? u americans can talk shit. Tewnty four fuckin 7, I mean who cares what genre they are? and by the way when this album was released the band weren't on solid state.... just by the way...
1) Why the hell do you assume I'm american? 2) 'Tewnty'? 3) Either relased on solidstate or not they still suck :)
Whatever you say man, but I can bet you I know which band's will make more money, sell more c.ds and be recognised when zao are dead and no-one cares. Aren't Zao signed to ferret alongside Funeral For A Friend et al...
dude unreleads your a pussy and a moron...solidstae has 3 of the most greatest hardcore bands ever and they are norma jean and haste the day and the chariot so shut the hell up