"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.
One, two, three
Slip out the back before those
Handlers get too tight on you
I light my own fires now
I light my own fires now
Slip in this town like it was
Measured to fit right on you
We light our own fires now
We lead ourselves into the night, oh yeah
I don't think I'll be held inside an ordinary cell
Am I the escape or
Am I the escape artist?
I know, I know it's just a question of details
Or one of
Denial
Could all of this trip wire
Cut so easy?
We'll just see
Cut the alarm before the
Motion sets off its sensors
We move in silence now
We guard our secrets with our lives
And cover our tracks so we are
Protected from surveillance
We move in silence now
We lead ourselves into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
And all the saints
Will rise again
As sons of wealthy men
Tear the whole world down before our eyes
And all the signs
We should have read
While we ignored the dead
Will haunt us long after the last of us has died
Slip out the back before those
Handlers get too tight on you
I light my own fires now
I light my own fires now
Slip in this town like it was
Measured to fit right on you
We light our own fires now
We lead ourselves into the night
Slip out the back before those
Handlers get too tight on you
I light my own fires now
I light my own fires now
Slip in this town like it was
Measured to fit right on you
We light our own fires now
We lead ourselves into the night, oh yeah
I don't think I'll be held inside an ordinary cell
Am I the escape or
Am I the escape artist?
I know, I know it's just a question of details
Or one of
Denial
Could all of this trip wire
Cut so easy?
We'll just see
Cut the alarm before the
Motion sets off its sensors
We move in silence now
We guard our secrets with our lives
And cover our tracks so we are
Protected from surveillance
We move in silence now
We lead ourselves into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
Into the fight
And all the saints
Will rise again
As sons of wealthy men
Tear the whole world down before our eyes
And all the signs
We should have read
While we ignored the dead
Will haunt us long after the last of us has died
Slip out the back before those
Handlers get too tight on you
I light my own fires now
I light my own fires now
Slip in this town like it was
Measured to fit right on you
We light our own fires now
We lead ourselves into the night
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
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,
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.
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.
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 love chris carrabba. almost everything he's written... but idk. this song doesn't completely do it for me. it's not my favorite...but it's growing on me. it seems a lot like the sound that comes with thick as thieves.
...but his voice... makes up for anything i don't like about it.
Sounds like he says "but we ignored the dead"
Instead of 'mama denial' it should say "Or one of denial"
I agree with youu severalways
When i first heard it i thought hmm & was undecided
but now i'm beginning to love it xDD
Woohoo i shall be seeing chris carrabba in 13 daysss !!!!!!
so excited xD
i believe this song displays a message. something sincere. more broad then it seems. i think it's talking about people controlling you. like parents, authority, boss', etc. this song is talking about freedom. freedom to be yourself. control you own life -> "i light my own fires now". it's about someone coming into realization of where they stand. it's possible that "you" is not referring to a "girl", but to the writer himself.
i don't know, something to consider i suppose!
I think this song is talking about judgement day .. At first it seems the speaker is sort of rebelling against God n religion and stuff, but admitting that he's sinning as well: "We lead ourselves into the night" and later "We lead ourselves into the fires" meaning hell and sin and all that. Then later, "And all the saints will rise again The sons of wealthy men Tear the whole world down before our lives. And all the signs we should have read But we ignored, Will hunt us long after the last of us has died" That whole part is talking about how on judgement day, the dead will rise and everything and the world & our lives will be over, and they'll all realize that they should have payed attention and been "good" in the first place. That's my interpretation at least :)
I don't know, I took the line "All the saints will rise again," to be another reference to New Orleans after Katrina. You know... like the football team? Ha. Haha. Ahahaha.
Well it's not COMPLETELY unfounded - just look at "The Widow's Peak."