"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.
Lonely,
Stubborn and complacent,
You have insisted
On leaving me here,
Writing the same song
I started last year.
Lovely
Conjunctions and phrases,
Plays on a few words,
That you never meant.
I must have misread
All of the signals that
You never sent.
It's a bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along the way.
Maybe I could still hold you,
Or you could call if you feel so inclined.
Please take your time
Locating whatever you're trying to find.
Maybe it's time to let go,
But I'm too scared
And so unprepared.
How do I forget,
Every moment in time that we shared?
It's a bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along this.
Bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along the way
I'm calling your bluff,
I have toyed with the idea of burning your stuff.
This is so rough,
And it's as if deserting me wasn't enough.
Well I've had enough,
I'm calling your bluff.
It's a bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along this.
Bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along the way
Stubborn and complacent,
You have insisted
On leaving me here,
Writing the same song
I started last year.
Lovely
Conjunctions and phrases,
Plays on a few words,
That you never meant.
I must have misread
All of the signals that
You never sent.
It's a bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along the way.
Maybe I could still hold you,
Or you could call if you feel so inclined.
Please take your time
Locating whatever you're trying to find.
Maybe it's time to let go,
But I'm too scared
And so unprepared.
How do I forget,
Every moment in time that we shared?
It's a bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along this.
Bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along the way
I'm calling your bluff,
I have toyed with the idea of burning your stuff.
This is so rough,
And it's as if deserting me wasn't enough.
Well I've had enough,
I'm calling your bluff.
It's a bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along this.
Bittersweet life,
And it's leaving me a-ok.
It's a bittersweet life,
I have loved and lost
My heart along the way
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Holiday
Bee Gees
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@[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.
Punchline
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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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I know that it is about a relationship, but it could also mean that the boy and girl were not boyfriend and girlfriend. They were just friends. This happens all the time that one is attracted to the other one, but the other person does not feel the same way. In this case, it would be the guy reading into too much what the girl was saying.
"Plays on a few words, that you never meant I must have misread all of the signals that you never sent" Then again, she could have been leading him on.
In the end though, he is calling her out for the awful things she has done too him.