"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 know what you're thinking
Or at least I think I do
What's on my mind isn't half of what on your's
And I turn, see you quaking
And I'm wrapped in your old man coat
Like a present or a broken-in leather shoe
And buried in that warmness I can't even remember my fears
Is it obvious to you yet that you hold me up?
Is it obvious to you yet that you keep me up?
Do you know, do you know that you hold me up?
And the planet is safe for now
And my planet is safe for now
Space invaders is getting closer
And my spaceship's not sure how to fight them
To fight them without you
To fight them, to fight them without you
Can't fight them without you, without you, without you
I'm sorry if it's scary for me to depend on you
I don't mean to be a burden at all
I decided in this silence that I can't do this alone
I need safety and hope that you're not pissed off
And I'm selfish and I know it
To ask this of you
At a time when your life's so upside down
Now at a time when your life's already mess up as it is
At a time when your life's so upside down
The planet is safe for now
Well, my planet is fine for now
Space invaders is getting closer and I'm really not sure how to fight them
To fight them without you
And they're coming so close now
And they're getting so close now
Invaders right on top of me and my spaceships don't know How to fight them, to fight them without you
I need you now, I need you now, I need you now
Don't leave me now, don't leave me now, don't leave me now, don't leave me now
Can't fight them, can't fight them, can't fight them
Won't fight them, can't fight them without you
And I guess you are like a clownfish in a sea of animals
Yeah, that's a sweeping metaphor
Or at least I think I do
What's on my mind isn't half of what on your's
And I turn, see you quaking
And I'm wrapped in your old man coat
Like a present or a broken-in leather shoe
And buried in that warmness I can't even remember my fears
Is it obvious to you yet that you hold me up?
Is it obvious to you yet that you keep me up?
Do you know, do you know that you hold me up?
And the planet is safe for now
And my planet is safe for now
Space invaders is getting closer
And my spaceship's not sure how to fight them
To fight them without you
To fight them, to fight them without you
Can't fight them without you, without you, without you
I'm sorry if it's scary for me to depend on you
I don't mean to be a burden at all
I decided in this silence that I can't do this alone
I need safety and hope that you're not pissed off
And I'm selfish and I know it
To ask this of you
At a time when your life's so upside down
Now at a time when your life's already mess up as it is
At a time when your life's so upside down
The planet is safe for now
Well, my planet is fine for now
Space invaders is getting closer and I'm really not sure how to fight them
To fight them without you
And they're coming so close now
And they're getting so close now
Invaders right on top of me and my spaceships don't know How to fight them, to fight them without you
I need you now, I need you now, I need you now
Don't leave me now, don't leave me now, don't leave me now, don't leave me now
Can't fight them, can't fight them, can't fight them
Won't fight them, can't fight them without you
And I guess you are like a clownfish in a sea of animals
Yeah, that's a sweeping metaphor
Lyrics submitted by xBasketCasex
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
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.
Wow I adore this song! Thanks for posting the lyrics u don’t know how much I appreciate it :D
“This has got to be the most amazing song ever produced by any artist!” Yes I always knew Conor would be the first one to make the sentence leak from my finger tips!
Gaz xx
haha oops posted the comment before on the wrong lyrics!
is it obvious to you yet that you hold me up?
this shouldnt be on here, this is like 15 years old