"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 can spot your kind a million miles away,
Buckle down boots and a bloodshot gaze.
You talk so sweet until the going gets tough,
The last job you pulled was never big enough.
Don't say you'll change after the next time.
You wouldn't even be yourself if you weren't telling a lie.
(Chorus)
'Cause I know where the cops hang out,
I know where you'll be found,
I know what you're all about.
I know when you're going down.
You only call me honey when we're alone,
Hiding at your place up on slack road.
You've got an answer for every little thing.
You can't even tell me where you've been.
My face couldn't make you leave it behind.
Maybe twenty years in state will change your mind.
(Chorus)
Don't say you'll change after the next time.
You wouldn't even be yourself if you weren't telling a lie.
Maybe 20 years in state will change your mind.
(Chorus)
I know you'll never change now.
I know my love was good enough,
I know you would have shed my blood,
I know you can't shut me up.
I know when you're going down.
Buckle down boots and a bloodshot gaze.
You talk so sweet until the going gets tough,
The last job you pulled was never big enough.
Don't say you'll change after the next time.
You wouldn't even be yourself if you weren't telling a lie.
(Chorus)
'Cause I know where the cops hang out,
I know where you'll be found,
I know what you're all about.
I know when you're going down.
You only call me honey when we're alone,
Hiding at your place up on slack road.
You've got an answer for every little thing.
You can't even tell me where you've been.
My face couldn't make you leave it behind.
Maybe twenty years in state will change your mind.
(Chorus)
Don't say you'll change after the next time.
You wouldn't even be yourself if you weren't telling a lie.
Maybe 20 years in state will change your mind.
(Chorus)
I know you'll never change now.
I know my love was good enough,
I know you would have shed my blood,
I know you can't shut me up.
I know when you're going down.
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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,
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.
Actually this song is meant to be a prequel of sorts to KE's Six O'Clock news. "I was just imagining what might have led up to the police standoff in 'Six O'Clock News," KE said in an interview this year. "It's a very different kind of song, but I wanted to explore how someone gets into that kind of desperate situation" The man in this song is not treating his girlfriend well, and her message is that she knows all of the illegal stuff that he does, and if he doesn't shape up and start treating her well, she's going to see to it that he's off to prison for 20.
Nice find about it being a prequel to Six O'Clock News. I think it's pretty clear that the guy she's singing about is a criminal. Probably more of a low-rent petty one than some connected mobster, though. She's contemplating/threatening to turn him in to the police if he doesn't change on his own. Hence that "her face" couldn't make him give it up, but maybe some hard time will.
I think it's about a thief who keeps saying that this will be his last theft, but he always lies about it.
Nah, I think it's about a lover who is violently abusive and she is threatening to go public with him. "Maybe 20 years in state will change your mind." Kickass guitar riffs in this song though.
Actually I think Deckers is right too, it's about someone who leads a life of crime. Perhaps a mob type, but does not talk about what he does all day to his lover. Still he has probably wronged her somehow, which is why she is threatening him with jail.
'absolutely' huh? pretty definite and objective for something that's purely subjective... Anyway, I think the Link "My face couldn't make you leave it behind." is the most telling one. She's involved with someone who's into crime of some sort, and she wishes he'd give it up for her, but he won't, so she's jealous and threatening him with going to the cops. Also meshes with the statement about this being a prequel to the the other song...
"cuz i know where the cops hang out" is about her driving down the high way and after about 3 times she realized that the cops hang around the same places, quite literally she knew
At first I thought tihs song was about a girl who knows her boyfriend is cheating on her, because of: "You've got an answer for every little thing. You can't even tell me where you've been."
and the part about dont say you'll change. But now the continuing reference to jail time, cops, and all that, I think you guys might be on the right track with the criminal.
This song is absolutely not about a criminal. It is about two people in love, she loves and cares about him more than he does her. It seems like he is an alcoholic. She knows he is just using her but she thinks she can change him. Cuz I know where the cops hang out, I know where you'll be found, I know what you're all about. I know when you're going down.