"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.
She leaps higher than the scale
And then falls like iron like screaming air
Right down in front of me
I don't know how it came to this
I am so scarred up with cigarettes
Cigarettes and leaks
But I know I always stay possessed
Like some preacher to a crucifix
If you drive your nails into me
We're sitting on the floor in a pile
Trading our arms for some wings of harm
I am goddamn
Been blow from the hinge
I can now barely stand
Oh, Jaelyn I can, I can feel you like the wind(?)
The beatings that rotation brings
Has us betting down on anything
But as our shrinking lives collide and rip
The sound is beautiful and lean
Yeah
But I never planned to live like this
Empty vaults, and a rolling kiss
Oh I never planned on anything
Sitting on the floor in a smile
I'm tearing it apart, like poverty art
You are god sent
We've been both thrown over the hinge
And I can now barely stand
Oh, Jaelyn I can, I can feel you like the wind
I fear it’s getting close to the end
I can feel it in the warm ailing wind.
She says, “I don’t want to think about that cause I am married to imaginary friends.”
So come on, come on in
And then falls like iron like screaming air
Right down in front of me
I don't know how it came to this
I am so scarred up with cigarettes
Cigarettes and leaks
But I know I always stay possessed
Like some preacher to a crucifix
If you drive your nails into me
We're sitting on the floor in a pile
Trading our arms for some wings of harm
I am goddamn
Been blow from the hinge
I can now barely stand
Oh, Jaelyn I can, I can feel you like the wind(?)
The beatings that rotation brings
Has us betting down on anything
But as our shrinking lives collide and rip
The sound is beautiful and lean
Yeah
But I never planned to live like this
Empty vaults, and a rolling kiss
Oh I never planned on anything
Sitting on the floor in a smile
I'm tearing it apart, like poverty art
You are god sent
We've been both thrown over the hinge
And I can now barely stand
Oh, Jaelyn I can, I can feel you like the wind
I fear it’s getting close to the end
I can feel it in the warm ailing wind.
She says, “I don’t want to think about that cause I am married to imaginary friends.”
So come on, come on in
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
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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/
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.
So no one get confuse, the question marks mean I don't know the line, not just the word before them.
For anyone who wants to hear this before the album is out, go here....
absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php
She leaps higher than the scale And then falls like iron Like screaming it right down in front of me I don't know how it came to this I am ?? caught up with cigarettes Cigarettes and leaves
But I know I always stay posessed Like some preacher to a crucifix If you drive your nail into me
Sitting on the floor in apartment trading my arms fill some ?? I am goddamn I've been broken over the edge(?) I can now barely stand Oh, damn it I can, I can feel you like the wind
The beatings that rotation brings Has us betting down on anything But as our shrinking lives collide and rip The sound is beautiful ?? Yeah
But I never planned to live like this Empty thoughts, a rollin kiss Oh I never planned on anything
I'm sitting on the floor with a smile, tear it apart like part of the art You are a godsend
We've been blown away from the edge And I can now barely stand Oh, damn it I can, I can feel you like the wind
I fear it’s getting close to the end I can feel it in the warm ailing wind. She says, “I don’t want to think about that cause I am married to imaginary friends.” So come on, come on in
this is what i got. we'll find out next week.
this song is so great. i vaguely remember when someone filmed this live awhile back and someone took a stab at the lyrics they had "oh jillian i can, i can feel you like the wind" and to me that still sounds more correct than "oh damn it i can, i can feel you like the wind"
She leaps higher than the "scale" ? ?
Oh didn't even see you included it in yours blinkchaser
She leaps higher than the "scale" ? ?
it's sky, not scale. Trust me.
she leaps higher than the scale and then falls like iron like screaming air right down in front of me
i dont know how it came to this i am so scarred up with cigarettes cigarettes and leaps
but i know i'll always stay possessed like some creature to a crucifix if you drive your nails into me
sitting on the floor in a pile trading my arms for some wings unharmed i am god damned been blown from the edge and i can now barely stand oh jillian i can, i can feel you like the wind
the beatings our rotation brings has us betting down on anything but as our shrinking lives collide and ring the sound is beautiful in ???
but never i planned to live like this empty thoughts, a rolling kiss oh i never plan on anything
sitting on the floor with a smile it'll tear it apart, like a dog in the yard you are a godsend been blown from the edge and i can now barely oh jillian i can, i can feel you like the wind
i fear its getting close to the end i can feel it in the warm ailing she said, i dont want to think about that cause i'm married to imaginery friends so come on, come on in
wilthethril11 your lyrics seem to be right, although I will wait till the album is out(another 5 days!) before I change them(Just to make sure)