"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.
This is where I am
This is who I am
Some will say conditioned
Some will say naïve
This is where I am
This is who I am
Some will soon fall victim
To the things that used to relieve
Their minds of aching pressure
Their bones of tension wrought
We’ve entered into pitfalls
Knowing full well that we would be caught
But it seems so easy here
To forget that we’re not on our own
But we can’t escape this
These people we follow
These laws they create and condone
I’ll do what you did before me
I’ll follow close your lead
I’ll make excuses for you
And stumble till I bleed
My knees rubbed raw from crawling
And begging for a chance
To live a life unlike yours
This is where I am
This is who I am
They will scream conditioned
And you will feel naïve
It’s hard to take this and stand my ground
But it’s needed now and it’s not just for my sake
Why am I so shaky?
How are you so strong?
Stranger things have happened
We all have nightmares
But some follow us into day
With all the lights out
And all the doors locked
We’ll see how tough I am
With all the lights out
And all the doors locked
I only have faith in his name
I’ll do what you did before me
I’ll follow close your lead
I’ll make excuses for you
And stumble till I bleed
My knees rubbed raw from crawling
And begging for a chance
To live a life unlike yours
One full of pure romance
This is way too much for you to tackle now
Come back after lunch relaxed and full
With a fresh mind
Who knows what odd ideas
Could come to you
When you’re shut up all alone in there
Alone in there with all your books
Step outside
And get a healthy dose
Get a healthy dose of what I call real life
You can follow me down
Follow me down
You can follow me down now
You can follow me down
Follow me down
You can follow me down
Follow me down now
You can follow me down
Follow me down
You can follow me down
Follow me down now
And the newsboy screams midday now
And the 73 drives by you
And the 73 drives by you
And the
News
Boy
Screams
Midday
The 73 drives by you
And the 73 drives by you
This is where I am
This is who I am
This is where I am
This is who I am
I’ll do what you did before me
I’ll follow close your lead
I’ll make excuses for you
And stumble till I bleed
My knees rubbed raw from crawling
And begging for a chance
To live a life unlike yours
This is who I am
Some will say conditioned
Some will say naïve
This is where I am
This is who I am
Some will soon fall victim
To the things that used to relieve
Their minds of aching pressure
Their bones of tension wrought
We’ve entered into pitfalls
Knowing full well that we would be caught
But it seems so easy here
To forget that we’re not on our own
But we can’t escape this
These people we follow
These laws they create and condone
I’ll do what you did before me
I’ll follow close your lead
I’ll make excuses for you
And stumble till I bleed
My knees rubbed raw from crawling
And begging for a chance
To live a life unlike yours
This is where I am
This is who I am
They will scream conditioned
And you will feel naïve
It’s hard to take this and stand my ground
But it’s needed now and it’s not just for my sake
Why am I so shaky?
How are you so strong?
Stranger things have happened
We all have nightmares
But some follow us into day
With all the lights out
And all the doors locked
We’ll see how tough I am
With all the lights out
And all the doors locked
I only have faith in his name
I’ll do what you did before me
I’ll follow close your lead
I’ll make excuses for you
And stumble till I bleed
My knees rubbed raw from crawling
And begging for a chance
To live a life unlike yours
One full of pure romance
This is way too much for you to tackle now
Come back after lunch relaxed and full
With a fresh mind
Who knows what odd ideas
Could come to you
When you’re shut up all alone in there
Alone in there with all your books
Step outside
And get a healthy dose
Get a healthy dose of what I call real life
You can follow me down
Follow me down
You can follow me down now
You can follow me down
Follow me down
You can follow me down
Follow me down now
You can follow me down
Follow me down
You can follow me down
Follow me down now
And the newsboy screams midday now
And the 73 drives by you
And the 73 drives by you
And the
News
Boy
Screams
Midday
The 73 drives by you
And the 73 drives by you
This is where I am
This is who I am
This is where I am
This is who I am
I’ll do what you did before me
I’ll follow close your lead
I’ll make excuses for you
And stumble till I bleed
My knees rubbed raw from crawling
And begging for a chance
To live a life unlike yours
Lyrics submitted by Kyo000
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
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.
this song is in direct context with C.S. Lewis's book "The Screwtape Letters", where an elder devil is giving advice to a younger devil about the skills of musing his assigned individual. The elder devil tells his student that while the individual gets a thought of a higher power, that he should break this thought with thoughts and feelings of hunger which will distort the individuals thoughts. That he should put thoughts that willl make him think that the indiviual will be able to think more clearly when he returns. Then when this works, the individual will be side tracked by everything outside, and will figure that the thought can wait, and therefor gives up on the thought entirely.