"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.
It was a miracle I even got out of Longwood alive
This town full of men with big mouths and no guts
I mean, if you can just picture it:
The whole third floor of the hotel gutted by the blast
And the street below showered in shards of broken glass
And all the drunks pourin' out of the dance halls
Starin' up at the smoke and the flames
And the blind pencil seller wavin' his stick
Shoutin' for his dog that lay dead on the side of the road
And me, if you can believe this
At the wheel of the car
Closin' my eyes and actually prayin'
Not to God above, but to you
Sayin':
Help me girl, help me girl
I'll love you till the end of the world
With your eyes black as coal and your long dark curls
Some things we plan, we sit and we invent
And we plot and cook up
Others are works of inspiration, of poetry
And it was this genius hand that pushed me up the hotel stairs
To say my last goodbye
To her hair white as snow and her pale blue eyes
Sayin': "I gotta go, I gotta go
The bomb and the bread basket
Are ready to blow,"
In this town of men with big mouths and no guts
The pencil seller's dog spooked by the explosion
And leapin' under my wheels
As I careered out of Longwood
On my way to you
Waitin' in your dress
In your dress of blue
I said:
Thank you girl, thank you girl
I'll love you till the end of the world
With your eyes black as coal and your long dark curls
And with the horses prancin' through the fields
With my knife in my jeans and the rain on the shield
I sang a song for the glory of the beauty of you
Waitin for me
In your dress of blue
Thank you girl
Thank you girl
I'll love you till the end of the world
With your eyes black as coal and your long dark curls
This town full of men with big mouths and no guts
I mean, if you can just picture it:
The whole third floor of the hotel gutted by the blast
And the street below showered in shards of broken glass
And all the drunks pourin' out of the dance halls
Starin' up at the smoke and the flames
And the blind pencil seller wavin' his stick
Shoutin' for his dog that lay dead on the side of the road
And me, if you can believe this
At the wheel of the car
Closin' my eyes and actually prayin'
Not to God above, but to you
Sayin':
Help me girl, help me girl
I'll love you till the end of the world
With your eyes black as coal and your long dark curls
Some things we plan, we sit and we invent
And we plot and cook up
Others are works of inspiration, of poetry
And it was this genius hand that pushed me up the hotel stairs
To say my last goodbye
To her hair white as snow and her pale blue eyes
Sayin': "I gotta go, I gotta go
The bomb and the bread basket
Are ready to blow,"
In this town of men with big mouths and no guts
The pencil seller's dog spooked by the explosion
And leapin' under my wheels
As I careered out of Longwood
On my way to you
Waitin' in your dress
In your dress of blue
I said:
Thank you girl, thank you girl
I'll love you till the end of the world
With your eyes black as coal and your long dark curls
And with the horses prancin' through the fields
With my knife in my jeans and the rain on the shield
I sang a song for the glory of the beauty of you
Waitin for me
In your dress of blue
Thank you girl
Thank you girl
I'll love you till the end of the world
With your eyes black as coal and your long dark curls
Lyrics submitted by delial, edited by Mellow_Harsher
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
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
I enjoy this song - one of what I call "Nick's Talkie Songs" - where he does more talking than singing. It works here though, i'm not trying to bad-mouth it.
I've never seen the Wender's film this is from - but perhaps that could shed a bit of light on the whole pale hair and eyes woman - if any of this imagery is even present in the film. I would imagine it's not - which won't help anyone.
And hey! It wasn't his fault the blind pencil seller's dog ran under the wheels of the car - well, unless HE blew up the building - which i think he might have been at least involved in somehow - so if thats true, i guess it's TECHNICALLY his fault - but shit man, he's was just trying the peace the fuck out - give the guy a break.
And I'll point this out because on lots of the other songs people have mentioned repeated themes and lyrics - if anyone interested in that - this songs offers up "a knife in my jeans" not word for word but close to the line "with a knife in his jeans" from "Loom of the Land" off "Henry's Dream."