"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.
[Slug]:
7:30 AM, Alerted to life by a song on the radio
The evening is over
Another morning, another opportunity
To do something progressive prove that he's worthy
Up and out the door by 9 O'clock
The sun is shining up and down the block
There's children in the corner waiting for a bus
That will take them to school and exploit their trust
He starts the car, sparks with one crank
It's those good ol' fashioned American mechanics
And even though he'd rather own a new import
It's dependible and more important its all he can afford
Stops by the coffee shop to pick up some smokes and a cup of Joe
Back into the Ford with the windows rolled up
So when the radio rocks he can sing along freely
With the lights out it's less dangerous
At the top of his lungs the words burst through shameless
Pushing that dream, trying to beat the time
Oh well whatever nevermind
Nothing else matters when your knifing through traffic
Wishing it was a stickshift, it's an automatic
Listening to the road, voice of the nomad
How he'd love to leave drive away never go back
Wheels keep on turning, turning turning and turning
Alone is when he finally feels like a person
Light another Nat Sherman
Crack the window, feel the wind blow
Serenity tenfold
God bless whoever invented sunglasses
And while your at save the saints that work the fast food drive throughs
Objects are closer than they appear
'cause when your by yourself there ain't one else to lie to
Talk radio gets a lot of play in his vehicle
It teaches him topics to dicuss with real people
So when he stops to get gas or hit that coffee shop
His neurotic ass can act like he knows a whole lot
Pour some sugar on me, my counterfeit personality
He's a loner gotti, he's a rebel
He's gonna drive the escort to the middle of that meadow
Thinking about how he can leave this city
Fill the tank and towards the water he'll flier
Maybe he should just go get a picture at the CC
And find a stool at the bar where he can stare at the TV
Either way tomorrow will be just like today
And that's all it takes to make the change
He loves to drive more than he loves being alive
And this town doesn't even know his real name
It goes bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove the Ford to the border to disturb the order
If only that he'd know that he wouldn't be missed
Maybe then he could have grown to exist
(repeated till the song fades)
7:30 AM, Alerted to life by a song on the radio
The evening is over
Another morning, another opportunity
To do something progressive prove that he's worthy
Up and out the door by 9 O'clock
The sun is shining up and down the block
There's children in the corner waiting for a bus
That will take them to school and exploit their trust
He starts the car, sparks with one crank
It's those good ol' fashioned American mechanics
And even though he'd rather own a new import
It's dependible and more important its all he can afford
Stops by the coffee shop to pick up some smokes and a cup of Joe
Back into the Ford with the windows rolled up
So when the radio rocks he can sing along freely
With the lights out it's less dangerous
At the top of his lungs the words burst through shameless
Pushing that dream, trying to beat the time
Oh well whatever nevermind
Nothing else matters when your knifing through traffic
Wishing it was a stickshift, it's an automatic
Listening to the road, voice of the nomad
How he'd love to leave drive away never go back
Wheels keep on turning, turning turning and turning
Alone is when he finally feels like a person
Light another Nat Sherman
Crack the window, feel the wind blow
Serenity tenfold
God bless whoever invented sunglasses
And while your at save the saints that work the fast food drive throughs
Objects are closer than they appear
'cause when your by yourself there ain't one else to lie to
Talk radio gets a lot of play in his vehicle
It teaches him topics to dicuss with real people
So when he stops to get gas or hit that coffee shop
His neurotic ass can act like he knows a whole lot
Pour some sugar on me, my counterfeit personality
He's a loner gotti, he's a rebel
He's gonna drive the escort to the middle of that meadow
Thinking about how he can leave this city
Fill the tank and towards the water he'll flier
Maybe he should just go get a picture at the CC
And find a stool at the bar where he can stare at the TV
Either way tomorrow will be just like today
And that's all it takes to make the change
He loves to drive more than he loves being alive
And this town doesn't even know his real name
It goes bye bye Miss American Pie
Drove the Ford to the border to disturb the order
If only that he'd know that he wouldn't be missed
Maybe then he could have grown to exist
(repeated till the song fades)
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
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.
Hitach007, look at the entire tiltle of the song "ASPIRING sociopath". I happen to know alot about sociopaths. Now, why would anyone aspire to be a sociopath? The character of course doesnt conciously want to be one. A sociopath lacks conscience, and is in a way, mentally detached from society. They are very sick people, but think about this guy. He lives a typical 9 to 5, boring american life, just as society may expect him to. He lives in a way which is not fun, nor fulfilling for him. "how he'd love to leave drive away never go back", but too bad, he doesnt have the balls or mental freedom to do that. He is so constrained, he would rather be on the other end, a sociopath. One who viciously plows their way thru life, using othes w/ out the slightest hint of guilt. Though sociopaths probably do not feel fulfilled themselves, they may contain a mental freedom that this man lacks. He wishes he was able to do as he wished, with or without society's approval. This song has given me chills, it seems nightmarish to live like this man. Not that his actual lifestyle is so bad. If one is happy doing what he does, then that's all that matters. It's the fact that he hates it, but continues to do it. The lesson to be learned from this track is not to be a sociopath, but to have the courage to take risks, and at least try to live how you desire to live.