"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.
Life in hive city
Somewhere in the east
Flowing down a crowded street
As though I am or I will be released
Can't stop yawning, clear blue morning
In mourning no more
Come and see the wild things
Just beyond the door
But there's an old man here who claims that he knew you
In another life
I'm not sure what he said
And could it be that he still thinks you're his wife
I've been waiting seems like eternity
I've been waiting, waiting for you
I'm still waiting, if you remember me
I'll be waiting, waiting for you
Drink and sing on a desert wind behind here
The ghosts have laid there fine little clay to rest
But who they they left and what they thought they stayed for
Is crumbled in their life's dusty caress
They were so blind
They were so blind
Hiding in a hotel room
Somewhere in the west
I heard they brought a priest in to sanctify the place
But it remained unblessed
Things move around
My guitar sometimes plays itself
They say it's static electricity but
Yesterday it took twenty dollars off the shelf
There's a young man here, says, May or June, another town
The children cry and ask where their mother is
Gonna have to let them down
I've been hurt... I've been around
I've been waiting seems like eternity
I've been waiting, waiting for you
I'm still waiting, if you remember me
I'll be waiting, waiting for you
Lifted shelves are fading in the valley
Where once the sea had strength enough to reach
And out of twisted metal I've discarded for Gaea's curse
no one here can quite translate the verses they wanted to preach
They were blind
They were so blind
They were so blind
They were so blind
I've been waiting seems like eternity
I've been waiting, waiting for you (so blind)
I'm still waiting, if you remember me
I'll be waiting, waiting for you
Somewhere in the east
Flowing down a crowded street
As though I am or I will be released
Can't stop yawning, clear blue morning
In mourning no more
Come and see the wild things
Just beyond the door
But there's an old man here who claims that he knew you
In another life
I'm not sure what he said
And could it be that he still thinks you're his wife
I've been waiting seems like eternity
I've been waiting, waiting for you
I'm still waiting, if you remember me
I'll be waiting, waiting for you
Drink and sing on a desert wind behind here
The ghosts have laid there fine little clay to rest
But who they they left and what they thought they stayed for
Is crumbled in their life's dusty caress
They were so blind
They were so blind
Hiding in a hotel room
Somewhere in the west
I heard they brought a priest in to sanctify the place
But it remained unblessed
Things move around
My guitar sometimes plays itself
They say it's static electricity but
Yesterday it took twenty dollars off the shelf
There's a young man here, says, May or June, another town
The children cry and ask where their mother is
Gonna have to let them down
I've been hurt... I've been around
I've been waiting seems like eternity
I've been waiting, waiting for you
I'm still waiting, if you remember me
I'll be waiting, waiting for you
Lifted shelves are fading in the valley
Where once the sea had strength enough to reach
And out of twisted metal I've discarded for Gaea's curse
no one here can quite translate the verses they wanted to preach
They were blind
They were so blind
They were so blind
They were so blind
I've been waiting seems like eternity
I've been waiting, waiting for you (so blind)
I'm still waiting, if you remember me
I'll be waiting, waiting for you
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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.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.
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/