"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.
I've been waiting all this time, soliciting is my one crime
Take a step which way to go with no permission from a hoe
And a limp with no diseases, my back seats got remedies
I'll be part of history, with 15 books on my story
And be a swift like Roddigan, equipped with the best selection
Wondering what you use, slipping off the booze cruise
And your focus turns to blur, when you set your eyes on her
As I turn away when she looks at me
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away, oh
I will try to meet you by the old highway, oh
And if it's now I'm down to slack, with the sun shown across my back
And I comforted to know that you're backstage at my show
And I
Why am I so short of your attention?
Having this discussion downtown, oh
No obligation, it's a real hard emotion
Now that your gone, I'm moving right along
As I
Run down the road still viewing sluts, bowcats
These hoe's are trying to fool me
No promises you get the one time slam
Seductive sexy capers in the Hilton tram
With this abuse of napkins X amount of Heineken
Waking up's so hard to do when I'm lying next to you
So I'm knockin' at your door, complicates the night before
She said the joke is on me, I said the joke is on her
Mary oh Mary, still so quite contrary
How could you ever know
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away, oh
I will try to meet you by the old highway, oh
And if it's now I'm down to slack, with the sun shown across my back
And I comforted to know that you're backstage at my show
And I
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
Take a step which way to go with no permission from a hoe
And a limp with no diseases, my back seats got remedies
I'll be part of history, with 15 books on my story
And be a swift like Roddigan, equipped with the best selection
Wondering what you use, slipping off the booze cruise
And your focus turns to blur, when you set your eyes on her
As I turn away when she looks at me
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away, oh
I will try to meet you by the old highway, oh
And if it's now I'm down to slack, with the sun shown across my back
And I comforted to know that you're backstage at my show
And I
Why am I so short of your attention?
Having this discussion downtown, oh
No obligation, it's a real hard emotion
Now that your gone, I'm moving right along
As I
Run down the road still viewing sluts, bowcats
These hoe's are trying to fool me
No promises you get the one time slam
Seductive sexy capers in the Hilton tram
With this abuse of napkins X amount of Heineken
Waking up's so hard to do when I'm lying next to you
So I'm knockin' at your door, complicates the night before
She said the joke is on me, I said the joke is on her
Mary oh Mary, still so quite contrary
How could you ever know
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away, oh
I will try to meet you by the old highway, oh
And if it's now I'm down to slack, with the sun shown across my back
And I comforted to know that you're backstage at my show
And I
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
And I'm a wanting watching you walk away
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.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
i love this song! i cant believe nooone has said anything about it... i think he is saying how he is in love with a hoe but and wants more from her than he can have