"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.
Had a scratch only you could itch
Underneath the Glebe Point Bridge
And now every boy in a knitted vest
Has got some precedent
So we took a personality pill
And something red to swill
And now every fire has gone out
in every heart that wanted to kill
Let's call it a day
Every thought that once had a sound
We'll have to hide 'til no one is around
'cause there ain't no room in the city today
For explanations that you just can't say
Found out what shame can mean
In purple sneakers and grey jeans
And every walked to a school that once made sense
Sure felt like an accident
Let's call it a day
For every trouble you found
There's a drink to lose it and drown
But do you need somebody, to feel somebody?
Every day that once had a sound
We'll have to hide 'til no one is in town
I don't hate I just feel better
When no one else is around
So we'll take a personality pill
And something red to swill
And now every fire has gone out
i every heart that wanted to kill
Let's call it a day
For every trouble you found
There's a drink to lose it and drown
But do you need somebody, to feel somebody?
You can shave a million ways
To make damn sure that the twelve in you stays
But do you need somebody, to feel somebody?
Underneath the Glebe Point Bridge
And now every boy in a knitted vest
Has got some precedent
So we took a personality pill
And something red to swill
And now every fire has gone out
in every heart that wanted to kill
Let's call it a day
Every thought that once had a sound
We'll have to hide 'til no one is around
'cause there ain't no room in the city today
For explanations that you just can't say
Found out what shame can mean
In purple sneakers and grey jeans
And every walked to a school that once made sense
Sure felt like an accident
Let's call it a day
For every trouble you found
There's a drink to lose it and drown
But do you need somebody, to feel somebody?
Every day that once had a sound
We'll have to hide 'til no one is in town
I don't hate I just feel better
When no one else is around
So we'll take a personality pill
And something red to swill
And now every fire has gone out
i every heart that wanted to kill
Let's call it a day
For every trouble you found
There's a drink to lose it and drown
But do you need somebody, to feel somebody?
You can shave a million ways
To make damn sure that the twelve in you stays
But do you need somebody, to feel somebody?
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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/
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Really I think the artist is just looking back on his uncomfortable days of growing up and the embarrassing things we all go through in pubescence. I love performing this song. It reminds me of myself in some ways. I think the purple sneakers were just a 'bad call' to wear to school one day and he may copped some shit for it.
Love, love, love, this song. As a whole I'm not sure what it means but this bit:
"So we took a personality pill And something red to swill And now every fire has gone out In every heart that wanted to kill"
I take it means death through a drug +alcohol overdose?
I think hes singing about conflict. And a girl. And how they are not happy in life, and are taking drugs and alcohol to avoid conflict and hide their feelings:
"for every trouble you found, theres a drink to lose it and drown".
"personality pill" - anti depressant
I feel this song is about someone suffering from depression, a broken relationship has made this worse. The "pill" alone isn't enough to ease the pain & forget, alcohol does this, then we pass out!
Trying to make the 12 in you stay - could be thinking back to how life is so much simpler when you are young.