"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.
was it a broken arm or collar bone
it depended on the week
and me with my black eyes
stitched from head to feet
uncomfortably happy
all skinned knees and gapped teeth
all the summers with the speak-n-spell
trying to make the robot cuss
if mother knew the words
we used while she worked
she would be fuming
cuz that's not how she raised me
and when you taped over
a good half of the wedding tape
i bet you never thought thundercats
would ever make you cry
you sat in disbelief
as lionel made plans to
slay the whole wedding party
they're discodancing to their deaths
oh, ma, you just don't know it yet
and all the hand-me-downs stuck to me
from all the blood i couldn't keep
oh, such a likely scene
10-year-old body
face down on rosall street
my bike passed out on top of me
remember how i swore i would
pass you up in age
you just scoffed at me
well i'm still gonna do it
just haven't quite figured out how yet
we cornered teddy ruxpin
smashed his story tape
and put guns n roses in
and watched him sing along to
appetite for destruction
yeah, he knew every word
i'm dying in the hallway
oh john you gotta turn it off
and when you taped over
a good half of the wedding tape
i know you never thought thundercats
would ever be the end
you sat in disbelief
as lionel made plans to
slay the whole wedding party
oh john you gotta turn it off
it depended on the week
and me with my black eyes
stitched from head to feet
uncomfortably happy
all skinned knees and gapped teeth
all the summers with the speak-n-spell
trying to make the robot cuss
if mother knew the words
we used while she worked
she would be fuming
cuz that's not how she raised me
and when you taped over
a good half of the wedding tape
i bet you never thought thundercats
would ever make you cry
you sat in disbelief
as lionel made plans to
slay the whole wedding party
they're discodancing to their deaths
oh, ma, you just don't know it yet
and all the hand-me-downs stuck to me
from all the blood i couldn't keep
oh, such a likely scene
10-year-old body
face down on rosall street
my bike passed out on top of me
remember how i swore i would
pass you up in age
you just scoffed at me
well i'm still gonna do it
just haven't quite figured out how yet
we cornered teddy ruxpin
smashed his story tape
and put guns n roses in
and watched him sing along to
appetite for destruction
yeah, he knew every word
i'm dying in the hallway
oh john you gotta turn it off
and when you taped over
a good half of the wedding tape
i know you never thought thundercats
would ever be the end
you sat in disbelief
as lionel made plans to
slay the whole wedding party
oh john you gotta turn it off
Lyrics submitted by zoeyzoeyzoeyzo
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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/
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
its lion-o, not lionel.
lion-o, like the thundercats, not lionel, like the richie.
"Was it a broken arm or collar bone it depended on the week and me with my black eyes stitched from head to feet uncomfortably happy all skinned knees and gapped teeth"
That paragraph symbolizes the simplicity of childhood. At that time of your life, You really didn't give a damn what happend to you.
You knew nothying of death or what happens or could happen to you.
The damage that he describes shows that no matter how bady he got hurt, he just kept going and having fun.
I love how every one of this bands best songs are the least discussed.
Ahhh, this song is so clever. I'm pretty sure it's about childhood memories. The song writter must have gotten hurt alot as a kid, and his brother (John?) probably got in trouble or was the ring leader of all these adventures. I think my favorite part is about Teddy Ruxpin because that thing used to scare the shit out of me. I also think the Tundercats part is pretty clever because the first couple of times I heard it, it sounded like his wife messed up the wedding tape. If you listen closer you relize it was John, his brother?, messing up their parents wedding tape.
Hey 'zbut', John is Ian's brother. Good analysis.
what a brilliant song, a brilliant look back at childhood memories with your siblings, it's beautiful.
but i think it's his older brother cos my favourite bit, the:
'remember how i swore i would pass you up in age you just scoffed at me well i'm still gonna do it just haven't quite figured out how yet'
is the kind of thing i'd have with my sister, where age is power, being older gave you the upper hand, the first toys - not hand-me-downs - and yet that would be the only thing you can't change.
This is one of my all time favorite DATH songs. And when I first heard it the first thing that came to my mind was it was just him telling about his childhood. And about how everyone's childhood is, how it's all about being reckless and not giving a damn what happens to you or anyone one else. Of course all this has already been stated. I'm just glad I wasn't alone in thinking that this is what it was about.