"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.
Red hand print on the white of your cheek
Pack your bags quiet while the lion sleeps
Watch you mother put her name to the line
Next to the place where your father signed
And inevitably what you used to be
Will succumb to the pull of gravity
And you'll never know, you will never see
With virgin eyes again
'Cause this is the day that everything changes
And your world stops turning
Running straight into the brake lights
You've come to nothing
This is the day that everything changes
And your worlds collide
And you know in time, you'll wake to find you're
A little unbroken
Hold the answer to the light, see your future
Two line blue line tragedy
He brings the metal to the fire for the first time T
Ells you it's the last time and it will be
Cause inevitably what you used to be
Will be tainted by the hand of curiosity
And you'll never know, you will never see
With virgin eyes again
'Cause this is the day that everything
And your world stops turning
Running straight into the brake lights
You've come to nothing
This is the day that everything changes
And your worlds collide
And you know in time, you'll wake to find you're
A little unbroken
So how can I explain?
The isolated rain the follows you
Wouldn't you agree running always slows you down
So welcome the pain
Stop yourself from delaying it
Because the real life
Will never go away
'Cause this is the day that everything changes
And your world stops turning
Running straight into the brake lights
You've come to nothing
This is the day that everything changes
And your worlds collide
And you know in time, you'll wake to find you're
A little unbroken
A little unbroken
Oh, a little unbroken
Oh, a little unbroken
Oh, a little unbroken
Pack your bags quiet while the lion sleeps
Watch you mother put her name to the line
Next to the place where your father signed
And inevitably what you used to be
Will succumb to the pull of gravity
And you'll never know, you will never see
With virgin eyes again
'Cause this is the day that everything changes
And your world stops turning
Running straight into the brake lights
You've come to nothing
This is the day that everything changes
And your worlds collide
And you know in time, you'll wake to find you're
A little unbroken
Hold the answer to the light, see your future
Two line blue line tragedy
He brings the metal to the fire for the first time T
Ells you it's the last time and it will be
Cause inevitably what you used to be
Will be tainted by the hand of curiosity
And you'll never know, you will never see
With virgin eyes again
'Cause this is the day that everything
And your world stops turning
Running straight into the brake lights
You've come to nothing
This is the day that everything changes
And your worlds collide
And you know in time, you'll wake to find you're
A little unbroken
So how can I explain?
The isolated rain the follows you
Wouldn't you agree running always slows you down
So welcome the pain
Stop yourself from delaying it
Because the real life
Will never go away
'Cause this is the day that everything changes
And your world stops turning
Running straight into the brake lights
You've come to nothing
This is the day that everything changes
And your worlds collide
And you know in time, you'll wake to find you're
A little unbroken
A little unbroken
Oh, a little unbroken
Oh, a little unbroken
Oh, a little unbroken
Lyrics submitted by LoveThyEnemy
Unbroken Lyrics as written by Kevin Griffin Melissa Higgins
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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"
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,
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.
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.
I think this song could be about a friend of hers who was really spoilt and had everything done for her but felt like she was so hard done by and so depressed. Then they're finally thrown out into the real world and has to do stuff for themselves and missy is telling them that really their life was pretty good and not half as bad as they thought hence unbroken. just my thoughts.