"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'm in the kitchen, I'm cooking and mixing and fixing
The sauces and I'll call you back
Running around in the city, I'm running I like it
I'm busy so I'll call you back
Flipping the switches and bitches come witness
That you're in your feelings and I'll call you back
Never the life of the party but I'll get it started
This business and I'll call you back
It's business, we've been this
It's business, we've been this and I'll call you back
It's business, it's business
It's business, it's business and I'll call you back
It's business, we've been this
It's business, we've been this and I'll call you back
It's business, it's business
It's business, it's business and I'll call you
Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back
And I'll call you back, back, back, back, back
Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back
The sauces and I'll call you back
Running around in the city, I'm running I like it
I'm busy so I'll call you back
Flipping the switches and bitches come witness
That you're in your feelings and I'll call you back
Never the life of the party but I'll get it started
This business and I'll call you back
It's business, we've been this
It's business, we've been this and I'll call you back
It's business, it's business
It's business, it's business and I'll call you back
It's business, we've been this
It's business, we've been this and I'll call you back
It's business, it's business
It's business, it's business and I'll call you
Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back
And I'll call you back, back, back, back, back
Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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,
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/
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.
obviously she wants someone... and i think the verses are distractions to get her mind off of that someone.
you think yoga might help but it sure wont... and then she tries to convince herself/ him or both that hes missing out if he doesnt get to know her
this song is soooo hot! it really shows how desire can get to your every cell. i especially like the lines My love’ll make you wonder And lightning a thunder I get it from my mama this is it :)
this song outlines the cycle of infatuation and eventual rejection. the song starts with a slow, steady heartbeat and gradually picks up speed as she gets more and more excited with her new love. erykah makes it very clear that there's one thing on her mind... she wants someone/something. the first few verses show her trying to get her mind off the topic, "but it won't let go". eventually she confronts the infatuation, argues why she is worth being loved, gets rejected, and the song abruptly stops in its tracks and slows down. eventually she finds resolve during the guitar solo ending, and as she walks away and moves on, says "just because i tell you i love you, don't mean that i do" as both parting words and justification to herself for how she must go on with her life. her voice fades out as she walks away from "you", the subject of the song.
See, I always thought this song was about a struggling new couple that was having trouble deciding whether or not they should see a pregnancy to full term. there is so much confusion with whether or not they are going to be together that she is unsure what to do about the situation. I always thought the beat at the beginning was made to resemble a heartbeat... but what do i know.
the best thing about this song is it's length
oh yeah Badu-y goodness from almost 11 minutes!
i cannot stop watching the live performance of this... i love @ 'madame'.. how desire gets your every cell.. and @ 'brokebarry'.. i'm loving the interpretation you raise... yes it is I think about infatuation... i see it more as an illicit affair.. there are too many connections for it to be just about her.. what is there to do when something has sparked, when it not allowed.. 'what we gon' do?' I feel its more about a scenario, where two people create chemistry, yet the timing is not right.. hence the distractions, as morally trying to do the right thing... in the end we know her decision! Badu is a highly intelligent and self- reasoning woman.. this we know! but in some context, i think I'll always put 'Next Lifetime' next to this... it seems the natural progression to me...! my own two piece obviously, and not into gossip so don't know any of that crap that sways me otherwise ... <3