"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.
Let me play
I've been dying to let you win
It's all I wanna be
So won't you take if from me
I wonder
But the less I get the more I give
It's all I wanna be
So won't you take if from me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes to see
I want someone to notice me
I wanna be the only victim
I wanna be the only victim
No regrets, even if it's all I get
It's all I wanna be
So won't you take it from me
It still hurts
It's never easy to forget
Do I wanna be
What you never asked me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes to see
I want you to notice me
I wanna be the only victim
I wanna be the only victim
I'm right here
I'm right here
I'm right here [Repeat: x7]
So come and get me!
So come and get me!
I wanna be the only victim [Repeat: x4]
I've been dying to let you win
It's all I wanna be
So won't you take if from me
I wonder
But the less I get the more I give
It's all I wanna be
So won't you take if from me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes to see
I want someone to notice me
I wanna be the only victim
I wanna be the only victim
No regrets, even if it's all I get
It's all I wanna be
So won't you take it from me
It still hurts
It's never easy to forget
Do I wanna be
What you never asked me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes on me
I want your eyes
I want your eyes to see
I want you to notice me
I wanna be the only victim
I wanna be the only victim
I'm right here
I'm right here
I'm right here [Repeat: x7]
So come and get me!
So come and get me!
I wanna be the only victim [Repeat: x4]
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I agree with exsandh0es, for me this song is about a friend with benefits, the guy wants a real relationship but the girl is just using him. Anyway, it's fine by him, he agrees because that's all he can get from her.