"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.
Yeah yeah, yeah
Mmmmm
Yeah
Mmm-mmm-mmm
Yeah
Hey, why don't you just stop trying to be so cool
And let me know the lowdown of how you feel about things?
Oh, you ain't doing nothing but jive, baby
And we've got a very serious problem, yeah
Yeaaa-aaah
Come on, baby
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
It's time for you to stop playing with my feelings, girl
Come on, girl, you know it damn well, baby
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
Oh, if there's nothing else, you can make up your mind right away
And it seems like to me you're trying your best to delay
Can't you see I wanna love you?
As long as you want it, baby
As long as you need it, baby
Oh, baby, baby, believe me when I tell you every word I say is true (Believe me, yeah)
Cause, honey, I adore you (Adore you, adore you)
And all this time we've been wasting, baby
Is only a game for fools
Yeaaa-aaah
Come on, baby
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
It's time for you to stop trying to be so cool, oh mama
Come on, girl
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
Oh, if you would only stop, mama, stop all that stumbling that you're doing
And come on, come on in, and give me all the things I need
Can't you see I wanna love you?
As long as you want it, baby
As long as you need it, baby
Oh, baby, baby, baby, it's time to get down, girl (Oh, baby)
Come on
(It's time to get down, yeah)
Yeaaa-aaah
It's time for you to stop playing with my feelings, girl (Oooh, oooh)
Come on, come on, girl(It's time to get down, yeah)
Ooo-oooh
Come on, baby (Ooooh, oooh)
(It's time to get down, yeah)
As long as you want it, baby
(Ooooh, oooh)
As long as you need it, girl
(It's time to get down, yeah)
Come on, come on, girl
Ooo-oooh
(Oooh, oooh)
Yeah, yeaaaah, yeah
(It's time to get down, yeah)
It's time for you to put your arms around me (Oooh, oooh)
Lord, bless the day you found me, girl
(It's time to get down, yeah)
Come on, girl
Yeaaa-aaah
Mmmmm
Yeah
Mmm-mmm-mmm
Yeah
Hey, why don't you just stop trying to be so cool
And let me know the lowdown of how you feel about things?
Oh, you ain't doing nothing but jive, baby
And we've got a very serious problem, yeah
Yeaaa-aaah
Come on, baby
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
It's time for you to stop playing with my feelings, girl
Come on, girl, you know it damn well, baby
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
Oh, if there's nothing else, you can make up your mind right away
And it seems like to me you're trying your best to delay
Can't you see I wanna love you?
As long as you want it, baby
As long as you need it, baby
Oh, baby, baby, believe me when I tell you every word I say is true (Believe me, yeah)
Cause, honey, I adore you (Adore you, adore you)
And all this time we've been wasting, baby
Is only a game for fools
Yeaaa-aaah
Come on, baby
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
It's time for you to stop trying to be so cool, oh mama
Come on, girl
(It's time to get down, down, yeah)
Oh, if you would only stop, mama, stop all that stumbling that you're doing
And come on, come on in, and give me all the things I need
Can't you see I wanna love you?
As long as you want it, baby
As long as you need it, baby
Oh, baby, baby, baby, it's time to get down, girl (Oh, baby)
Come on
(It's time to get down, yeah)
Yeaaa-aaah
It's time for you to stop playing with my feelings, girl (Oooh, oooh)
Come on, come on, girl(It's time to get down, yeah)
Ooo-oooh
Come on, baby (Ooooh, oooh)
(It's time to get down, yeah)
As long as you want it, baby
(Ooooh, oooh)
As long as you need it, girl
(It's time to get down, yeah)
Come on, come on, girl
Ooo-oooh
(Oooh, oooh)
Yeah, yeaaaah, yeah
(It's time to get down, yeah)
It's time for you to put your arms around me (Oooh, oooh)
Lord, bless the day you found me, girl
(It's time to get down, yeah)
Come on, girl
Yeaaa-aaah
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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
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/