"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.
Celebrating childhood dreaming
Taking in these waterfalls
Before the world got so deceiving
Before you thought you knew it all
The beauty of this scene was hitting
By every year gone by
And now you're thinking love forbidding
When you can't even cry
At least there's hope
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go,
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go, no
Here you are on a break walk singing
Trying to miss as the world walks by
A full moon over red lights singing
To the clouds of a rusty sky
Never less visions, it makes no sense at all
All you are is another victim
Jumping in these waterfalls
And there's no hope
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, and now there's no time left to
Even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Oh, until there's nowhere left to go
One day breathless you know
Leaves you naked and exposed
Ah, yeah
Ever think that the suns gonna rise
And the worlds gonna spin
And it makes it worse
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, until there's no time left to
Even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, now there's nowhere left to go
Taking in these waterfalls
Before the world got so deceiving
Before you thought you knew it all
The beauty of this scene was hitting
By every year gone by
And now you're thinking love forbidding
When you can't even cry
At least there's hope
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go,
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go, no
Here you are on a break walk singing
Trying to miss as the world walks by
A full moon over red lights singing
To the clouds of a rusty sky
Never less visions, it makes no sense at all
All you are is another victim
Jumping in these waterfalls
And there's no hope
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, and now there's no time left to
Even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Oh, until there's nowhere left to go
One day breathless you know
Leaves you naked and exposed
Ah, yeah
Ever think that the suns gonna rise
And the worlds gonna spin
And it makes it worse
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, until there's no time left to
Even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Can't even let go
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, until there's nowhere left to go
Hope, now there's nowhere left to go
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
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 a guy who in ontario who gambled away everything he owned, which tore his whole life apart and he committed suicide by jumping off niagra falls