"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.
My bodyguard shows her revolver to anyone who asks
And yeah she comes to attention when you come up to me too fast
For a little while you'll be here, the only good part of me
For a little while you'll be here
So lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie
You wear skirt like a flag
And everything surrounds you, and it doesn't fade
Nothing like this sound I make
That only lasts the season
And only heard by bedroom kids who buy it for that reason
'Cause you're the low life of the party, bad blood
Bad blood for everybody
I'm in control and I believe
So lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie from your bad blood
From your bad blood
'Cause you're the low life of the party, bad blood
Bad blood for everybody
I'm in control and I believe
So lit up, lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie
And yeah she comes to attention when you come up to me too fast
For a little while you'll be here, the only good part of me
For a little while you'll be here
So lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie
You wear skirt like a flag
And everything surrounds you, and it doesn't fade
Nothing like this sound I make
That only lasts the season
And only heard by bedroom kids who buy it for that reason
'Cause you're the low life of the party, bad blood
Bad blood for everybody
I'm in control and I believe
So lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie from your bad blood
From your bad blood
'Cause you're the low life of the party, bad blood
Bad blood for everybody
I'm in control and I believe
So lit up, lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie Manhattan
Lit up, lit up, lit up, lit up alright
I try to untie
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
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.
This is such a solid track
agreed.
When I first heard this, I thought he was on about his dick- "Come to attention", "The only good part of me" etc. now, i dunno, seems like it's about getting wasted. How cool are female bodyguards btw? With revolvers too...
I see the following situation being described... a man, perhaps a musician, has the option of being with one of two people.
One, "My Bodyguard," is the woman whom he is either already with (or at least, she'll claim that he is). She is assertively protective of him and makes a point to deter others from getting close to him with a "revolver." My Bodyguard is who wants him, but not who he wants.
The other, nicknamed "Manhattan" in the song, is the "you" who the song is essentially written towards. "Wear[ing] [her] skirt like a flag," she commands his attention with how she conducts herself. He believes she possesses a longevity, a wisdom, as she "doesn't fade" which directly contrasts how he sees his own seemingly-temporary contribution to the world. His work "only lasts a season" and only captures the interest of fad-happy and uncritical "bedroom kids."
"My Bodyguard" girl tries to convince him that "Manhattan" girl is "bad blood" and the "low-life of the party" because she feels threatened by her and wants to persuade him that she is bad for him.
The man, however, is conflicted. Manhattan is "the only good part of [him]" when she is around. She's only near him for "a little while" but makes such an impression on him that all he can do is "[light] up" and smoke his anxiety down. When making the case for "My Bodyguard," he wants to be able to convince himself that he has tried to "untie" from Manhattan. This may be to preserve his relationship with "My Bodyguard" or, perhaps, because he's intimidated by how desperately he wants a potentially unobtainable "Manhattan." He's not satisfied, of course, with that answer. He wants to be "in control" of the situation but he's torn and, instead of getting what he wants, he can only, helplessly, light up.
I always thought it was "I tried it one time"?
Lit up, its about fags. Matt is a smoker i heard somewhere it was about cigarettes.
definitely reminds me of debauchery filled nights...the only good part of him left is him on the substances (i would think...) when hes singing lit up lit up alright i try to untie my knot it seems to be a drug reference i dont know if i'd go as far as sayin smack just because hes tying a knot. . .possibly though when hes talking about bad blood again.
you know i always hear your love life falls apart not low life of the party........good song though
i thought it might be using cigarettes as an excuse to escape monotony.
sheltered children(bedroom kids) paralleled by sheltered adults(body guards). "only lasts a season" might reference the constant changing of fads by which we structure our lives. he hopes to "untie Manhattan", or maybe break off from the daily routine of working in the city?
he believes he's in control, but he's only grasping at an escape. a cigarette.
The National to me always projected that "lover and a fighter" image, and "lighting someone up" is a term that's used when someone decisively wins a fight, so... I mean, with the party references, and the chorus line "I tried it one time and got lit up" - sounds like he's describing getting drunk at a party and trying to be a tough guy - definitely seems like a very National-esque activity
this sound I make that only lasts the season and only heard by bedroom kids who buy for that reason
HIPSTERS!!! but this line also makes me think of how desolate it can be if you're an artist and you realize that whatever buzz may surround your stuff fades pretty fast.
sounds like it's just about partying in the city.