"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.
You can't sleep at night
You can't dream your dream
Your fingerprints on file
Left clumsily at the scene
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Yesterday the people were at ease
Baby you slept in peace
You closed your eyes and saw her
You knew who you were
And your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come
Your world keeps turning round and round
But everything is upside down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
There's a face you know
Staring back from the shop window
The condition you're in
Now you just can't get out of this skin
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Hooo...
The times they got too clear
So you removed all the mirrors
Once the family felt secure
Now no one's very sure
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy's come
Everything is falling down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come
Everything is falling down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your flag it flew so high
It drifted into the sky
You can't dream your dream
Your fingerprints on file
Left clumsily at the scene
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Yesterday the people were at ease
Baby you slept in peace
You closed your eyes and saw her
You knew who you were
And your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come
Your world keeps turning round and round
But everything is upside down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
There's a face you know
Staring back from the shop window
The condition you're in
Now you just can't get out of this skin
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Ah ah ah
Hooo...
The times they got too clear
So you removed all the mirrors
Once the family felt secure
Now no one's very sure
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy's come
Everything is falling down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your own worst enemy has come
Everything is falling down
Your own worst enemy has come to town
Your flag it flew so high
It drifted into the sky
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
What a fantastic song! I think i the meaning behind it is about a man with a dark past and having to live with it.
This whole album is mostly social/political commentary. Again, this is about the USA and what Bruce feels we've done to ourselves since 2000. Personally I don't agree with Bruce's attitude 100%, but I see where he's coming from. He makes it seem like everything was peachy before some of the things he complains about "Once the family felt secure..". Well, we weren't exactly secure - that's the point. To me this is one of the weaker songs on the album, which speaks well of the album.
Naah, I think it's all about a man who lost his wife and now has to face his worst enemy: Santa Claus.
Just think about it....makes me sad...
This is a political record, it's fine. But I think that like other times (Nebraska), Bruce hides more than he seems about his personal life. I always thought that this song talks about our worst enemy that is born from within. The Depression. Listen again to this song with that idea in mind.
it sounds christmas-like. i like it!
I think this song is most definitely about what Bruce sees as the collective responsibility of the american public in electing GW Bush. As a Scot looking in from the outside, it echoes how I felt about Margaret Thatcher. It is a wonderful song full of brooding threat, I think.....
Had to sign up here since no one brought up that at least I've always thought that these lyrics are about cheating and getting caught.. Or at least could be as well than political views
I think it's very clever that he is obviously referencing his hit from decades before 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' in the general production of the song, down to the persistent jingling sleigh bell. Not to mention the 'coming to town' that is in both songs. Almost seems like he's referencing his own innocence when he was younger.
Maybe this song is about when years later the ‘one who got away ‘ maybe broke your heart and is always never too far from the back of your mind returns into your proximity and you get confused and wonder what might have been. You still carry a torch but it’s tainted with hate because they hurt you. You have moved on, your even happy but now you’re in turmoil because dormant emotions stir.