"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.
Calling all cars, all coroners, we got a dead one here
And anybody else receiving this, the west coast is far from clear
Like a time bomb, a sudden death
It's gonna find you when you least expect
It's gonna leave you the emptiest feeling inside
They found me face down in the street
On the night you left to find another place to sleep
In rain and regret
They said they tried everything but it was no use
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you
Falling like stars into the ocean black, we're gonna disappear
And anything left recognisable is swept away with fear
We got our hearts dipped in time release
We got the know-how and the elbow grease
We got our victim all cut up down here on the floor
They found me face down in the street
On the night you left to find another place to sleep
In rain and regret
They said they tried everything but it was no use
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you
... One but you
... One but you
They found me face down in the street
On the night you left to find another place to sleep
In rain and regret
They said they tried everything but it was no use
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you
And anybody else receiving this, the west coast is far from clear
Like a time bomb, a sudden death
It's gonna find you when you least expect
It's gonna leave you the emptiest feeling inside
They found me face down in the street
On the night you left to find another place to sleep
In rain and regret
They said they tried everything but it was no use
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you
Falling like stars into the ocean black, we're gonna disappear
And anything left recognisable is swept away with fear
We got our hearts dipped in time release
We got the know-how and the elbow grease
We got our victim all cut up down here on the floor
They found me face down in the street
On the night you left to find another place to sleep
In rain and regret
They said they tried everything but it was no use
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you
... One but you
... One but you
They found me face down in the street
On the night you left to find another place to sleep
In rain and regret
They said they tried everything but it was no use
Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
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”
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.
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/
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.
I agree with HappyTrash's interpretation, but there would be no reason for matt to just make up a murder story like that, a good song writer always throws in the old double-entendre. I think that the whole song is just a big metaphor for what happens when you get put on the receiving end of a bad heartbreak.
Great song off their new cd. I love their new cd, should be out around May. I think it's better than Good Mourning.
great song. I think its talking about a girl moving out and he kills himself and the police and people finding him there in the street. Im pretty stupid if this is obviously something different tell me hwat cause im curious what was thinking for this song. It seems single-ish and i hope it does end up being a single.
where have you heard it?? please tell me i cant find it anywhere
its so tempting to dl these new songs. i love this band and i want to enjoy every song of this album. its like secretly opening presents before christmas morning. but really, if youre going to dl these just buy the cd anyway and support alkaline they are so awesome
another very good tune from matt
Best song on the new album for me, and probably deserving of the single.
"Like a time bomb, a sudden death It's gonna find you when you least expect It's gonna leave you the emptiest feeling inside"
It sounds like he's talking about love in general here, how it just sort of happens and then leaves you broken. The song seems to be about someone dying inside after his girl up and leaves.
I think the person 'died' inside, too. When it says
"Yeah, they tried everything and everyone but you" I think it means that his only cure for love is the person he was in love with.
This song is amazing. It's real name is Dethbed though.
yah i saw that on the site, i assumed it was a typo.