"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.
Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss?
School yard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
I want to break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives
Is it over now, hey, hey, is it over now?
I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have
I want to be your last first kiss
Amazing how life turns out the way that it does
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love
I want to break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives
Is it over now, hey, hey, is it over now?
I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have
I want to be your last first kiss
Is it over now, hey, hey, is it over now?
Is it over now? Hey, hey, it's not over now
I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have
I want to be your last first love that you'll ever have
Lying here beside me, palms and eyes open wide
I want to be your last first kiss for all time
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss?
School yard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
I want to break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives
Is it over now, hey, hey, is it over now?
I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have
I want to be your last first kiss
Amazing how life turns out the way that it does
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love
I want to break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives
Is it over now, hey, hey, is it over now?
I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have
I want to be your last first kiss
Is it over now, hey, hey, is it over now?
Is it over now? Hey, hey, it's not over now
I want to be your last first kiss that you'll ever have
I want to be your last first love that you'll ever have
Lying here beside me, palms and eyes open wide
I want to be your last first kiss for all time
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Saw Anberlin in concert last night for the second time. The first time, they played this song. And ohhhh man. I can't even explain it.
ALWAYS be my favorite song. There's so much meaning, and so much heart in it. Stephen is incredible with words.