"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.
Hopeless
Everybody says it's just another decay
Of the soul But I know
I'm hopeless
Follower of anything to take me away
From this hole in the ground
I find it hopeless
Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line
It's sublime to find it lately
Hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time
I was trying far too hard
To be what I felt I should be
I was playing wild cards
Seeing things that weren't in front of me
Like a little tiger play fighting
I was hurting myself
Again, and again
Because I'm hopeless
Everybody says it's just another decay
Of the soul But I know
I'm hopeless
Follower of anything to take me away,
From this hole in the ground
I find it hopeless
Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line
It's sublime to find it lately
Hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time
That there's no more time
Well,
I'm just discovering
I'm living in a different body
Got a little insight into
Everything that's happening to me
Like a little spider, I'm climbing the insurmountable
But I never hold myself accountable
No oooh
Because I'm hopeless
Everybody says I'm hopeless
But I got a bit of hopeless
In this
Oh and you could never bring me down
Even though I got solid ground
Oh because I love it so
And I think you should know
That I'm hopeless
Everybody says it's just another decay
Of the soul But I know
I'm hopeless
Follower of anything to take me away,
From this hole in the ground
I find it hopeless
Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line
It's sublime to find it lately
Hopeless , hopeless, hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time
Everybody says it's just another decay
Of the soul But I know
I'm hopeless
Follower of anything to take me away
From this hole in the ground
I find it hopeless
Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line
It's sublime to find it lately
Hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time
I was trying far too hard
To be what I felt I should be
I was playing wild cards
Seeing things that weren't in front of me
Like a little tiger play fighting
I was hurting myself
Again, and again
Because I'm hopeless
Everybody says it's just another decay
Of the soul But I know
I'm hopeless
Follower of anything to take me away,
From this hole in the ground
I find it hopeless
Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line
It's sublime to find it lately
Hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time
That there's no more time
Well,
I'm just discovering
I'm living in a different body
Got a little insight into
Everything that's happening to me
Like a little spider, I'm climbing the insurmountable
But I never hold myself accountable
No oooh
Because I'm hopeless
Everybody says I'm hopeless
But I got a bit of hopeless
In this
Oh and you could never bring me down
Even though I got solid ground
Oh because I love it so
And I think you should know
That I'm hopeless
Everybody says it's just another decay
Of the soul But I know
I'm hopeless
Follower of anything to take me away,
From this hole in the ground
I find it hopeless
Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line
It's sublime to find it lately
Hopeless , hopeless, hopeless
No more saying that there's no more time
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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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,
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.
I think the lyrics you posted are correct, Alpha 13. I really like this song, I can totally relate to it. I think it's about her always trying to please people by being something she isn't. She's hopeless because she seems to never learn from her mistakes and she tends to keep making them over and over. I think also she says she's a bit of a follower because she likes people to take care of her, "follower of anything to take me away from this hole in the ground" and "Clinging to a feeling like a fish on a line", symbolize this feeling of dependence on someone or something so she won't actually have to stand on her own.