"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 going nowhere
Gotta face up to it
Gotta wake up to it
I feel so guilty
Killing time is a sin
A dam burst of dreams flows through me
They show me where I could be
Flash point feelings flow
Through my mind moving
When my friends tell me
You just can't connect
You ain't got no respect
They tell me nothing
'Cos I know about that
Yes I know about that
I'm not gonna take what people say
Don't feel that I belong today
Sense of freedom and
Sense of pride
From the mountains to the sea
I'll run across this land
Looking out for strength and beauty
A diamond in the sand
And I will chase the four winds over
Trying to understand
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
I won't let nobody
Turn me off the track
Now there's no turning back
Won't let no worries
Turn my inside down
Now there's no room for doubt
I'm heading for my destiny
And it feels electric to me
Flash point feelings flow
Thru' my mind
I was lonely going nowhere
Drowning on dry land
I was almost stranded there a
Shipwreck on the sand
But now I'll chase the whole world over
Making my demands
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
From the mountains to the sea
I'll run across this land
Looking out for strength and beauty
A diamond in the sand
And I will chase the four winds over
Trying to understand
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
I was lonely going nowhere
Drowning on dry land
I was almost stranded there a
Shipwreck on the sand
But now I'll chase the whole world over
Making my demands
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
Gotta face up to it
Gotta wake up to it
I feel so guilty
Killing time is a sin
A dam burst of dreams flows through me
They show me where I could be
Flash point feelings flow
Through my mind moving
When my friends tell me
You just can't connect
You ain't got no respect
They tell me nothing
'Cos I know about that
Yes I know about that
I'm not gonna take what people say
Don't feel that I belong today
Sense of freedom and
Sense of pride
From the mountains to the sea
I'll run across this land
Looking out for strength and beauty
A diamond in the sand
And I will chase the four winds over
Trying to understand
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
I won't let nobody
Turn me off the track
Now there's no turning back
Won't let no worries
Turn my inside down
Now there's no room for doubt
I'm heading for my destiny
And it feels electric to me
Flash point feelings flow
Thru' my mind
I was lonely going nowhere
Drowning on dry land
I was almost stranded there a
Shipwreck on the sand
But now I'll chase the whole world over
Making my demands
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
From the mountains to the sea
I'll run across this land
Looking out for strength and beauty
A diamond in the sand
And I will chase the four winds over
Trying to understand
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
I was lonely going nowhere
Drowning on dry land
I was almost stranded there a
Shipwreck on the sand
But now I'll chase the whole world over
Making my demands
And I won't stop until I'm holding
Heaven in my hands
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
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
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.