"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.
In dreams we do so many things
We set aside the rules we know
And fly the world so high
In great and shining rings
If only we could always live in dreams
If only we could make of life
What, in dreams, it seems
But in the real world
We must say our goodbyes
No matter if the love will live
It will never die
In the real world
There are things that we can't change
And endings come to us
In ways that we can't rearrange
I love you, and you love me
But sometimes we must let it be
In the real world
In the real world
When we were dreaming heart to heart
I wish that we had stayed right there
For when the dreamers do awake
The dreams do disappear
In the real world
There are things that we can't change
And endings come to us
In ways that we can't rearrange
I love you, and you love me
But sometimes we must let it be
In the real world
In the real world
We set aside the rules we know
And fly the world so high
In great and shining rings
If only we could always live in dreams
If only we could make of life
What, in dreams, it seems
But in the real world
We must say our goodbyes
No matter if the love will live
It will never die
In the real world
There are things that we can't change
And endings come to us
In ways that we can't rearrange
I love you, and you love me
But sometimes we must let it be
In the real world
In the real world
When we were dreaming heart to heart
I wish that we had stayed right there
For when the dreamers do awake
The dreams do disappear
In the real world
There are things that we can't change
And endings come to us
In ways that we can't rearrange
I love you, and you love me
But sometimes we must let it be
In the real world
In the real world
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Love, which can never become reality.
Beautiful song