"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 takes five minutes for me to get to your house
In no time at all on a time traveling couch
It takes four minutes to figure out the date
And I could take my time 'cause it can't be late
It takes three minutes for me to get in your head
When you start to unravel all this shit that I said
It takes two minutes to call me back and say hell no
And freeze like you banged the funny bone in your elbow
In less than a minute I'll be all out of water
And headed for the border with somebody's daughter
It takes one second to check in and say hi
After everything that happened no time goes by
It's a dream machine everything you see
And you could be whoever you choose to be
Drive easy it's alright The time traveling couch will get you home in time
My mom thought I ruined the couch to get back at her
But I couldn't figure out the Flux Capaciter
This is a vehicle of misperception
Fucked around and accidentally saw my own conception
One suggestion dude you better be sure
I was at Manhattan Island's revolutionary war
With murder on both shores I left in a hurry
Saw Indians with corn on the cob and got worried
I need to get back to reality just relax
But a dude in a top hat keeps swinging an axe
I never should have got mixed up with this damn couch
Then I crashed through the roof I was back at my mom's house
I wanna see Adam West Michael Knight and Bruce Banner
And smoke Cuban Cigars with Fidel in Havana
I wanna play yesterday's lotto so ring the bell
And tell Baby Jessica's parents she's in the well
Evacuate buildings of women and small children
And tell everyone to listen to Nostradames's vision
I go back to the future once every three days
With optimus prime so I could sell it on ebay
I went to Alcatraz got caught in a lock down so what now
I'm writing letters to Doc Brown
I made it out and saw the value of freedom
And now that I'm back to right now I'm not leaving
In no time at all on a time traveling couch
It takes four minutes to figure out the date
And I could take my time 'cause it can't be late
It takes three minutes for me to get in your head
When you start to unravel all this shit that I said
It takes two minutes to call me back and say hell no
And freeze like you banged the funny bone in your elbow
In less than a minute I'll be all out of water
And headed for the border with somebody's daughter
It takes one second to check in and say hi
After everything that happened no time goes by
It's a dream machine everything you see
And you could be whoever you choose to be
Drive easy it's alright The time traveling couch will get you home in time
My mom thought I ruined the couch to get back at her
But I couldn't figure out the Flux Capaciter
This is a vehicle of misperception
Fucked around and accidentally saw my own conception
One suggestion dude you better be sure
I was at Manhattan Island's revolutionary war
With murder on both shores I left in a hurry
Saw Indians with corn on the cob and got worried
I need to get back to reality just relax
But a dude in a top hat keeps swinging an axe
I never should have got mixed up with this damn couch
Then I crashed through the roof I was back at my mom's house
I wanna see Adam West Michael Knight and Bruce Banner
And smoke Cuban Cigars with Fidel in Havana
I wanna play yesterday's lotto so ring the bell
And tell Baby Jessica's parents she's in the well
Evacuate buildings of women and small children
And tell everyone to listen to Nostradames's vision
I go back to the future once every three days
With optimus prime so I could sell it on ebay
I went to Alcatraz got caught in a lock down so what now
I'm writing letters to Doc Brown
I made it out and saw the value of freedom
And now that I'm back to right now I'm not leaving
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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Little Feat
Little Feat
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”
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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,
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.
this song is about toothpicks crazy fantasy to time travel on a couch
actually, i don't know, but it is awesome, please comment.
How about the terrific comic book and pop culture references? What a fun song and a fun artist. I saw him open for Robert Randolph and it was a good time. His cd is also a great album for singing along in the car (which he even says in the lyrics). This can obviously be a song about tripping but I think on another level the song becomes a means of time travel back to all the references he makes and the times each listener associates with them. I know I definately travel back in time when I think of flux capaciters...
haha It means I saw him in cambridge. my boyfriend was really drunk and wouldn't stop talking to him so He gave us a free cd to shut him up. Needless to say it didn't work. That's alright though it was a great show. They actually stop making this cd He's in another band now... Hummmmm I'll have to get back to everyone when I fugure out what it is.