"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.
Born host to a tongue so sing a song about it
Held a breath for too long till we're half sick about it
Tell us what we did wrong, then you can blame us for it
Turn the clamp on our thumbs so we're down about it
And tell us all about it, we're so in doubt about it
How about some credit now
Credit is due for the damage that was done
We have wrought upon ourselves and others
With this blow and vicious gun
And although pratfalls can be fun, encores can be fatal
And then I hear you say
Thank God it's fatal, thank God it's fatal, not shy
Not shy and fatal, not shy and fatal, thank God
Thank God it's fatal, thank God it's fatal, not shy
Not shy and fatal, not shy and fatal
Wait just a second now
It's not all that bad, are we not having fun?
You make your mountains of handkerchiefs
Where the mascara always runs
So be careful when you're done you're bound to get post natal
Wait, did I just hear you say
Thank God it's fatal
No, we don't want to hear the sound of a draw
No, we don't want to hear the sound of a draw
And we don't want to hear the signs that you bore
You know the kind of sign you hang on a door
Saying, "We'll be back, we're a crack"
Now don't you think we might have heard all that before
Yeah, don't you think we might have heard all that before
Born host to a tongue so sing a song about it
Held our breath for too long till we're half sick about it
Tell us what we did wrong and you can blame us
Turn the clamp on our thumbs so we're down about it
Held a breath for too long till we're half sick about it
Tell us what we did wrong, then you can blame us for it
Turn the clamp on our thumbs so we're down about it
And tell us all about it, we're so in doubt about it
How about some credit now
Credit is due for the damage that was done
We have wrought upon ourselves and others
With this blow and vicious gun
And although pratfalls can be fun, encores can be fatal
And then I hear you say
Thank God it's fatal, thank God it's fatal, not shy
Not shy and fatal, not shy and fatal, thank God
Thank God it's fatal, thank God it's fatal, not shy
Not shy and fatal, not shy and fatal
Wait just a second now
It's not all that bad, are we not having fun?
You make your mountains of handkerchiefs
Where the mascara always runs
So be careful when you're done you're bound to get post natal
Wait, did I just hear you say
Thank God it's fatal
No, we don't want to hear the sound of a draw
No, we don't want to hear the sound of a draw
And we don't want to hear the signs that you bore
You know the kind of sign you hang on a door
Saying, "We'll be back, we're a crack"
Now don't you think we might have heard all that before
Yeah, don't you think we might have heard all that before
Born host to a tongue so sing a song about it
Held our breath for too long till we're half sick about it
Tell us what we did wrong and you can blame us
Turn the clamp on our thumbs so we're down about it
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
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[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.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
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.
Excerpted from an interview at gothamist.com: "What about “Thank God it’s fatal, not shy”? AB: You know, that song is going along and talking about the damage we do to ourselves and whether we’re going to get credit for it in the end. The chorus takes it one step further… I don’t know exactly what I was getting at with that but it’s something to do with seeing how you’re going to go. Are you going to torture yourself or are you going to go the extra mile and do it ‘til it kills you. It’s just trying to understand why we push ourselves."
this song will not leave my head
Nor mine, neither, nope