"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.
I knew a girl named Nicky
I guess you could say
She was a sex fiend
I met her in a hotel loby
Masterbatin' with a magazine
She said,
'How'd you like to waste some time?'
And I could not resist
When I saw little Nicky grind
She took me to her castle
And I just couldn't believe my eyes
She had so many devices
Everything that money could buy
She said,
'Sign ur name on the dotted line.'
The lights went out
And Nicky started to grind
(Wooah Nicky!!!)
The castle started spinning
Or maybe it was my brain
I can't tell you what she did to me
But me body will never be the same
Her lovin' will kick your behind
She'll show you no mercy
But she'll show nuff -
Show nuff, show ya how to grind
Woke up the next mornin'
Nicky wasn't there
I looked all over and all I found
Was a phone number on the stairs
It said,
'Thank you for a funky time.
Call me up whenever you wanna grind'
(Wooah Nicky!!!)
(Come back Nicky, Come back!!!)
I guess you could say
She was a sex fiend
I met her in a hotel loby
Masterbatin' with a magazine
She said,
'How'd you like to waste some time?'
And I could not resist
When I saw little Nicky grind
She took me to her castle
And I just couldn't believe my eyes
She had so many devices
Everything that money could buy
She said,
'Sign ur name on the dotted line.'
The lights went out
And Nicky started to grind
(Wooah Nicky!!!)
The castle started spinning
Or maybe it was my brain
I can't tell you what she did to me
But me body will never be the same
Her lovin' will kick your behind
She'll show you no mercy
But she'll show nuff -
Show nuff, show ya how to grind
Woke up the next mornin'
Nicky wasn't there
I looked all over and all I found
Was a phone number on the stairs
It said,
'Thank you for a funky time.
Call me up whenever you wanna grind'
(Wooah Nicky!!!)
(Come back Nicky, Come back!!!)
Lyrics submitted by silverpointe
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.
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.
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.
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.
Prince cover