"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.
I want your head.
I want your wicked parts.
I want to wring out your evil thoughts.
I want to eat out your bitter heart.
I want your soul to sing six words harmony
Of all the pigs that might tempt me.
I know you're sick alone and I'm telling everyone everything.
So scratch it on the wall of your coffin on your sick day home:
"And when your lover loves to cheat there's another you can meet
It's a short pier, it's a long walk home"
You gotta show me where it hurts,
There's a beast and a burden
Kicking, spitting on your bathroom floor.
This is your life this is your life and
When I'm done it's over just a little bit more.
Good things die all the time,
So God bless your heart, vengeance is mine.
"Kiss me like you mean goodbye," said the spider to the fly.
All those times you thought that you were wrong, you were right.
So if I fight the good fight will hairlines recede?
Will lines deepen in face to craft a look of defeat?
I feel the end is near my little Monday night whore,
My little Saturday night became a Sunday remorse.
And it's all over America,
God bless the game show heathens.
This is your life, this is your life,
And at last my good friend we are even.
I know I'll never lose an arm, never stay up staring at the phone.
If I ever rot up with disease don't you bury me and leave,
Don't you leave me in the ground alone.
You gotta show me where it hurts, never cremate me to burn,
Never chop me up and throw me to sea.
You'll never have to find the words they come out spilling unrehearsed,
But you and I will never find that peace.
Good things die all the time,
God bless your heart, vengeance is mine.
"Kiss me like you mean goodbye," say the spider to the fly.
When all those times you thought that you were wrong, you were right.
I want your wicked parts.
I want to wring out your evil thoughts.
I want to eat out your bitter heart.
I want your soul to sing six words harmony
Of all the pigs that might tempt me.
I know you're sick alone and I'm telling everyone everything.
So scratch it on the wall of your coffin on your sick day home:
"And when your lover loves to cheat there's another you can meet
It's a short pier, it's a long walk home"
You gotta show me where it hurts,
There's a beast and a burden
Kicking, spitting on your bathroom floor.
This is your life this is your life and
When I'm done it's over just a little bit more.
Good things die all the time,
So God bless your heart, vengeance is mine.
"Kiss me like you mean goodbye," said the spider to the fly.
All those times you thought that you were wrong, you were right.
So if I fight the good fight will hairlines recede?
Will lines deepen in face to craft a look of defeat?
I feel the end is near my little Monday night whore,
My little Saturday night became a Sunday remorse.
And it's all over America,
God bless the game show heathens.
This is your life, this is your life,
And at last my good friend we are even.
I know I'll never lose an arm, never stay up staring at the phone.
If I ever rot up with disease don't you bury me and leave,
Don't you leave me in the ground alone.
You gotta show me where it hurts, never cremate me to burn,
Never chop me up and throw me to sea.
You'll never have to find the words they come out spilling unrehearsed,
But you and I will never find that peace.
Good things die all the time,
God bless your heart, vengeance is mine.
"Kiss me like you mean goodbye," say the spider to the fly.
When all those times you thought that you were wrong, you were right.
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
I saw them (well congleton) play this acoustic before the album came out. it was awe-inspriring. just him out the front of the stage after they had finished playing, there was only about 10 of us there as well as it was in colchester. it was absolutly fantasitc.