"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.
We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
I killed my dinner with karate
Kick 'em in the face, taste the body
Shallow work is the work that I do
Do you want to sit at my table?
My fighting fame is fabled
And fortune finds me fit and able
And you do say oh oh
That you do pray oh oh
And you say
That you're ok
And do you want to run with my pack?
Do you want to ride on my back?
Pray that what you lack does not distract
And even when you run through my mind
Something else is in front, oh, you're behind
And I don't have to remind you
To stick with your kind
And you do say oh oh
That you do pray oh oh
And you say
That you're ok
And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
We should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
I killed my dinner with karate
Kick 'em in the face, taste the body
Shallow work is the work that I do
Do you want to sit at my table?
My fighting fame is fabled
And fortune finds me fit and able
And you do say oh oh
That you do pray oh oh
And you say
That you're ok
And do you want to run with my pack?
Do you want to ride on my back?
Pray that what you lack does not distract
And even when you run through my mind
Something else is in front, oh, you're behind
And I don't have to remind you
To stick with your kind
And you do say oh oh
That you do pray oh oh
And you say
That you're ok
And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And even when you touch my face
You know your place
And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
And we should shine a light on
A light on
And the book of right-on's right on
It was right on
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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/
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.
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.
I agree with those who see religious imagery in this song. I think of this song almost as a conversation between the singer and a god she doesn't believe exists, or between her and the concept of god where she is outlining how she tried to consider the idea, but in the end it didnt make sense to believe it.
I interpreted the first lines to mean that the bible (the book of right-on) may have a lot of good things to say (even if you dont believe in god) but that those things are being ignored and instead people are using the book of right-on to promote less pleasant things (people using the bible as a weapon of hate, for example). So in that sense the narrator is saying "we should shine a light on" that sort of hypocrisy.
When she says "i killed my dinner..." and "taste the body" i see this as rejecting faith in god (her meal ticket to salvation? just a thought). I was raised Christian and there were constant references in church about god filling you up, making you full etc, so that you'll not "hunger". I see her as saying "thanks, but no thanks. I'll make my own way." Then the following part she offers the idea a temporary spot: "do you want to sit at my table" like saying "look, if you want to debate this idea, bring it on. Because i have no doubt that i'll win this one" (her fighting fame is fabled).
Same with the part "do you want to run with my pack/do you want a ride on my back" - its like the singer is being offered fellowship and a crutch to lean on, but she basically responds "no thanks, i don't need a crutch" I connect this back to Peach Plum Pear, where she says "i was riding its back when it used to ride me" and i get the imagery of being taken for a ride, not having control of the situation. She doesn't want to ride on anything's back, she wants to be strong and walk on her own (and not be taken for a ride).
With "and you do say/that you do pray/and you say/that you're ok" I see her as sorta saying "you're telling me you pray, and that everything is fine and God takes care of it, but there's something missing in your life or you wouldn't have sought out a crutch like religion in the first place", which i see again in the part where she says "pray that what you lack does not distract" almost like saying a person's belief in god is like putting the blinders on, so that you can believe that everything is going to be ok because its in god's hands. Maybe i think this because i've met too many Christians who were actually pretty messed up but were almost self-brainwashed into believing that they were ok because they could "give their burden to jesus".
anyway, that's always been my take.