"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.
It's getting so lonely inside this bed
Don't know if I should lick my wounds or say "woe is me" instead
And there's an aching inside my head
It's telling me you're better off alone
But after midnight morning will come
And the day will see if you will get some
They say that girl ya know she act too tough, tough, tough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
They say that girl you know she act so rough, rough, rough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
And I say follow me follow me follow me down down down down
'Til you see all my dreams
Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems
I looked above the other day
'Cause I think I'm good and ready for a change
I live my life by the moon (by the moon)
If it's high, play it low, if it's harvest go slow and if it's full, then go
But after midnight morning will come
And the day will see if you're gonna get some
They say that girl ya know she act too tough, tough, tough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
They say that girl you know she act so rough, rough, rough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
And I say follow me follow me follow me down, down, down, down
'Til you see all my dreams
Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems
And I'm searching for things that I just cannot see
Why don't you don't you don't you come and be with me
I pretend to be cool with me, want to believe
That I can do it on my own without my heart on my sleeve
I'm running, I'm running, catch up with me life
Or is it love that I'm looking to find
It's all in me, can't you see, why can't you, why can't you see
It's all in me, yeah
All in me, yeah
Where is your logic? (turn of the light, turn off the light)
Who do you need? Yeah (turn of the light, turn off the light)
(And I say follow me, follow me, follow me)
(Down, down, down, down, 'til you see all my dreams) where can you turn?
Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems
Follow me, follow me, down, down, down
I do not need, I do not need nobody (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Follow me down, follow me down, down, down
I do not need, I do not need nobody (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Follow me, follow me, follow me, down, down, down, down
'Til you see all my dreams, see all my dreams
Follow me, follow me, follow me, down, down, down, down
'Til you see all my dreams, see all my dreams
Where is your logic? (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Who do you need? Yeah (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Where can you turn? (turn off the light, turn off the light)
And where is your logic? (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Who do you need?
Don't know if I should lick my wounds or say "woe is me" instead
And there's an aching inside my head
It's telling me you're better off alone
But after midnight morning will come
And the day will see if you will get some
They say that girl ya know she act too tough, tough, tough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
They say that girl you know she act so rough, rough, rough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
And I say follow me follow me follow me down down down down
'Til you see all my dreams
Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems
I looked above the other day
'Cause I think I'm good and ready for a change
I live my life by the moon (by the moon)
If it's high, play it low, if it's harvest go slow and if it's full, then go
But after midnight morning will come
And the day will see if you're gonna get some
They say that girl ya know she act too tough, tough, tough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
They say that girl you know she act so rough, rough, rough
Well it's 'til I turn off the light, turn off the light
And I say follow me follow me follow me down, down, down, down
'Til you see all my dreams
Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems
And I'm searching for things that I just cannot see
Why don't you don't you don't you come and be with me
I pretend to be cool with me, want to believe
That I can do it on my own without my heart on my sleeve
I'm running, I'm running, catch up with me life
Or is it love that I'm looking to find
It's all in me, can't you see, why can't you, why can't you see
It's all in me, yeah
All in me, yeah
Where is your logic? (turn of the light, turn off the light)
Who do you need? Yeah (turn of the light, turn off the light)
(And I say follow me, follow me, follow me)
(Down, down, down, down, 'til you see all my dreams) where can you turn?
Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems
Follow me, follow me, down, down, down
I do not need, I do not need nobody (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Follow me down, follow me down, down, down
I do not need, I do not need nobody (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Follow me, follow me, follow me, down, down, down, down
'Til you see all my dreams, see all my dreams
Follow me, follow me, follow me, down, down, down, down
'Til you see all my dreams, see all my dreams
Where is your logic? (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Who do you need? Yeah (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Where can you turn? (turn off the light, turn off the light)
And where is your logic? (turn off the light, turn off the light)
Who do you need?
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.