"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.
At the dawn, I woke, I was alone, rising
I called you on, the force, of time and space, calling
And as she came, to me, I fell back down, realizing
Oh that it's cool, for you, to love me now, I'm everything
Everything, 'cause tried, and true, I see the light in you
Oh han you dig in my soul, could you smell my whole, life?
You bent the edge, eclipsed, and turned around, aligning
And though the dark, sparked rays of violet light, blinding
I went about, the job, of sowing thoughts, and feelings
Oh some were good, some bad, I felt the cries, of healing
'Cause tried and true, I see the light in you
Oh can you dig in my soul, could you smell my whole, life?
Rise, my Dawn, you've been awake too long
Let me rest in time, while I blow your mind
At the dawn, I woke, I was alone, rising (I got ya)
I called you on, the force, of time and space, calling (see them)
And as she came, to me, I fell back down, realizing (creation)
that it's cool, for you, to love me now, I'm everything (I am)
Everything,'cause tried and true, I see the light in you
Can you dig in my soul, could you smell my whole, life?
I called you on, the force, of time and space, calling
And as she came, to me, I fell back down, realizing
Oh that it's cool, for you, to love me now, I'm everything
Everything, 'cause tried, and true, I see the light in you
Oh han you dig in my soul, could you smell my whole, life?
You bent the edge, eclipsed, and turned around, aligning
And though the dark, sparked rays of violet light, blinding
I went about, the job, of sowing thoughts, and feelings
Oh some were good, some bad, I felt the cries, of healing
'Cause tried and true, I see the light in you
Oh can you dig in my soul, could you smell my whole, life?
Rise, my Dawn, you've been awake too long
Let me rest in time, while I blow your mind
At the dawn, I woke, I was alone, rising (I got ya)
I called you on, the force, of time and space, calling (see them)
And as she came, to me, I fell back down, realizing (creation)
that it's cool, for you, to love me now, I'm everything (I am)
Everything,'cause tried and true, I see the light in you
Can you dig in my soul, could you smell my whole, life?
Lyrics submitted by HughLloyd, edited by stevieboy97, janeaparis1
Tried and True Lyrics as written by Michael Melchiondo Aaron Freeman
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
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,
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Another song about a trip. He's visiting God, or a god, or a force, or whatever he believes to be the all-powerful, and he became that force. Lots of people who take psychedelic drugs feel like everything in the world is tied together through a unifying force, and that's what this song is talking about. He lived his whole life and now he's beyond life, and wants the girl to do the same. "I'm everything." That means he's her too, so she's him, and everything is everything.