"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.
Oh, you and me, we're the same
Asking for more than the numbing existence
Offered us all
What did they say? What did they do?
To make you crawl back in
Despite everything that you've been through
You're still right where I left you
We can lift up our hands to the sky
Find all of those strings that they're pulling and keep from falling back
Into our old rhythmic poses
Turning us into machines
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way we won't all look the same way down
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way and we'll all take the same way out
And all these illusions dropped on a sea of believers
Crowding around as they hunt me down
And throw me out
While all the rest of the others
Bang their heads in the dredges
[x2]
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way we won't all look the same way down
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way and we'll all take the same way out
So don't give up on me
We can be still pretend
This is all just a game
That'll work itself out in the end
Asking for more than the numbing existence
Offered us all
What did they say? What did they do?
To make you crawl back in
Despite everything that you've been through
You're still right where I left you
We can lift up our hands to the sky
Find all of those strings that they're pulling and keep from falling back
Into our old rhythmic poses
Turning us into machines
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way we won't all look the same way down
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way and we'll all take the same way out
And all these illusions dropped on a sea of believers
Crowding around as they hunt me down
And throw me out
While all the rest of the others
Bang their heads in the dredges
[x2]
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way we won't all look the same way down
And one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves
In any way and we'll all take the same way out
So don't give up on me
We can be still pretend
This is all just a game
That'll work itself out in the end
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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.
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."
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,
this is what ive got from Darkest hour's myspace. DEMON(S)
oh you and me we're the same asking for more than the numbing existance offered us all what did they say what did they do to make you crawl back in despite everything that you've been through you're still right here where i left you, we can lift up our hands to the sky find all of those strings that they're pullin and keep from falling back into our old rythmic poses turning us into machines, and one of these days we'll no longer betray ourselves in any way we won't all look the same way down, and we'll all take the same way out, all these illusions dropped on a sea of believers crowding around as they hold me down and throw me out while all the rest of the others hang their heads in the dredges.. so don't give up on me we can still pretend this is all just a game that'll work itself out in the end