"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.
Take the angels away
The only ones who knew
Already knew my name
Time we know for a war
To be the only one who ever knew the way
Don’t be a martyr it will be alright
I can see you run out
But still you make the most of making the most
I don’t want no body to haunt me
Every time I see your face in the night
I know
It’s all the voice in my head.
Time time it’s only time
I feel the colorful things that I did
I know its all the voice in my head
Take the anger away
So many come so many seem to go that way
It’s on now
Digging a hole in the soul
To see the confines of the mental overload
You melted it all down
I don’t want no body to haunt me
Every time I see your face in the night
I know
It’s all the voice in my head.
But still you make the most of making the most.
I can see you’ve run out
But still you make the most of making the most.
The only ones who knew
Already knew my name
Time we know for a war
To be the only one who ever knew the way
Don’t be a martyr it will be alright
I can see you run out
But still you make the most of making the most
I don’t want no body to haunt me
Every time I see your face in the night
I know
It’s all the voice in my head.
Time time it’s only time
I feel the colorful things that I did
I know its all the voice in my head
Take the anger away
So many come so many seem to go that way
It’s on now
Digging a hole in the soul
To see the confines of the mental overload
You melted it all down
I don’t want no body to haunt me
Every time I see your face in the night
I know
It’s all the voice in my head.
But still you make the most of making the most.
I can see you’ve run out
But still you make the most of making the most.
Lyrics submitted by TheDirge
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
Sounds to me like it's about someone close to you committing suicide, or the fear of them doing so. "Don't be a martyr, it will be alright!" God, I love that line.
Sounds to me like it's about someone close to you committing suicide, or the fear of them doing so. "Don't be a martyr, it will be alright!" God, I love that line.
ARGH!! This song had so much potential to be awesome! Everything works so well and then it just falls away! It could have been so much more.
Definetly an anti suicide song. I just wish there had been more to it.
Well, how i look at martyr, it's not for some one who actually who suffers death, it could be any suffering, and that's what acutally talks about in the song.
War and violence, all these words could possibly apply against the system or even estrangement.
Talks about color and then anger. Color was taken away with the sufferings and replaced with anger.