"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.
I want to take my head and cut it open wide
Want to examine, oh the thoughts that circle inside
Electrocute my thoughts or put myself on stand by,
I'm so over, I'm so over you
Let's open up the sky and let the clichè's pour
Everything has been executed there before
Eight-bit fantasies, I'm yesterday's technology
Follow the leader, jump off with me
The wine is dripping with the blood off my finger tips
The mitochondrion are revolting, please take care of it
Carnivorous cells are winning against your cancer lips
So come over, come over
Oh, my God, I want to tear you apart
I am walking but I'm still asleep
Oh, my Lord, this is blasphemy
Wake me up before I fall too deep
I wish I had an original thought inside my skull
Everything has been done a million times before
My dream sequence has become my life or so it seems
All my friends are dead, in a perfect sense
Oh, my God, I want to tear you apart
I am walking but I'm still asleep
Oh, my Lord, this is blasphemy
Wake me up before I fall too deep
In too deep
Oblivious and numb
In too deep
I want to hurt you, but can't cut you fast enough
The ink is dripping, and my letter has become a mess
I want to hate you, but hate is love, just reversed
Why do we talk about things that we loathe the most?
Oh, my God, I want to tear you apart
I am walking but I'm still asleep
Oh, my Lord, this is blasphemy
Wake me up before I fall too deep
Wake me up before I fall too deep
Want to examine, oh the thoughts that circle inside
Electrocute my thoughts or put myself on stand by,
I'm so over, I'm so over you
Let's open up the sky and let the clichè's pour
Everything has been executed there before
Eight-bit fantasies, I'm yesterday's technology
Follow the leader, jump off with me
The wine is dripping with the blood off my finger tips
The mitochondrion are revolting, please take care of it
Carnivorous cells are winning against your cancer lips
So come over, come over
Oh, my God, I want to tear you apart
I am walking but I'm still asleep
Oh, my Lord, this is blasphemy
Wake me up before I fall too deep
I wish I had an original thought inside my skull
Everything has been done a million times before
My dream sequence has become my life or so it seems
All my friends are dead, in a perfect sense
Oh, my God, I want to tear you apart
I am walking but I'm still asleep
Oh, my Lord, this is blasphemy
Wake me up before I fall too deep
In too deep
Oblivious and numb
In too deep
I want to hurt you, but can't cut you fast enough
The ink is dripping, and my letter has become a mess
I want to hate you, but hate is love, just reversed
Why do we talk about things that we loathe the most?
Oh, my God, I want to tear you apart
I am walking but I'm still asleep
Oh, my Lord, this is blasphemy
Wake me up before I fall too deep
Wake me up before I fall too deep
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
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.
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.
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.
this song is amazing. it's much more developed and intense than their last cd, and this song just has so much more depth to it. it's just... great. i love it.
I haven't heard this song yet. But the lyrics seem awfully awesome.
this song sounds weird buddie!..
I love this song. :]
I think that the lyrics are actually "all my friends are dead, in a perfect scene."
the singer sounds like the guy from the cure
i love their lyrics it reminds me of dreaming
There's a bunch of mistakes here.
Great song. The chorus is crazy catchy. I like it.
I want take my head and cut it open extra wide I want to examine oh the thoughts that seem to circle inside Electrocute my thoughts or put my self on stand by Im so over, Im so over
Lets open up the sky and let the clichés pour Everything has been executed better before 8-bit fantasies Im yesterdays technology Follow the leader, jump off with me
The wine is dripping with the blood off of my finger tips The mitochondrion are revolting, please take care off it Carnivorous cells are winning against your cancer lips So come over, so come over
Oh my god, I want to tear you apart I am walking but Im still asleep Oh my lord, this is blasphemy Wake me up before I fall too deep
I wish I had an original thought inside my skull Everything has been done a million times before My dream sequence has become my life or so it seems All my friends are dead, in a perfect scene
Oh my god, I want to tear you apart i am walking but Im still asleep Oh my lord, this is blasphemy Wake me up before I fall too deep
In too deep Oblivious and numb
I want hurt you, but I cant cut you fast enough the ink is dripping, and my letter has become a mess I want to hate you, but hate is love, just reversed Why do we talk about things that we loath the most?
Oh my god, I want to tear you apart i am walking but Im still asleep Oh my lord, this is blasphemy Wake me up before I fall too deep Oh my god, I want to tear you apart Design my world and make it incomplete Oh my lord, this is blasphemy Wake me up before I fall too deep