"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.
Uh oh
Now I stared at you
From across the room
Until both my eyes were faded
I was in a rush
I was out of luck
Now I'm so glad that I waited
Well you were almost there
Almost mine, yeah
They say love ain't fair
But I'm doing fine
Cause I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that I've waited for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
And it ain't gonna stop
No it just won't stop
Uh oh oh
Yeah
Now you were fine by night
But when the morning light comes
Comfortable as rain on Sunday
And I'm a lucky soul
That holds your hand so tight
Hope you hear this one day
Don't fool yourself
This is my truth
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that i waited for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
And it ain't gonna stop
It just won't stop
You take this hand
You take this heart
Steal my bones
From thousand miles apart
Feels so cold
Felt just like its ten shades of winter
And I need the sun
Oh yeah
Oh oh no no yeah yeah
And I swear it's you
I swear you
I swear it's you that it waited for
I swear it's you
I swear its
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that I've waited for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
And it ain't gonna stop
It just won't stop
Hey yeah
It just won't stop
No no no no woah yeah
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
Oh yeah
Now I stared at you
From across the room
Until both my eyes were faded
I was in a rush
I was out of luck
Now I'm so glad that I waited
Well you were almost there
Almost mine, yeah
They say love ain't fair
But I'm doing fine
Cause I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that I've waited for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
And it ain't gonna stop
No it just won't stop
Uh oh oh
Yeah
Now you were fine by night
But when the morning light comes
Comfortable as rain on Sunday
And I'm a lucky soul
That holds your hand so tight
Hope you hear this one day
Don't fool yourself
This is my truth
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that i waited for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
And it ain't gonna stop
It just won't stop
You take this hand
You take this heart
Steal my bones
From thousand miles apart
Feels so cold
Felt just like its ten shades of winter
And I need the sun
Oh yeah
Oh oh no no yeah yeah
And I swear it's you
I swear you
I swear it's you that it waited for
I swear it's you
I swear its
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that I've waited for
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
I swear it's you that my heart beats for
And it ain't gonna stop
It just won't stop
Hey yeah
It just won't stop
No no no no woah yeah
I swear it's you
I swear it's you
Oh yeah
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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”
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
This song is so cute and beautiful. I'm listening to it right now; this may be my fav from the album. I agree with nikham3 on this one. I had this dream one time about this guy whose face I couldn't see, but him just being near made me happier than ever. Even with his face blinded out with a white sunburst, I could tell he was smiling at me, like I could just feel that he was. I have this weird feeling I'll meet him soon, and when I see him for the first time, I'm gonna fall hard. This song is about seeing the one.