"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.
Ask me, I'm fine or I will be
I got a bullet-proof vest on and the cure for AIDS
And a pill that makes me happy
Ask me, I'm fine or I will be
I've got the cure for loneliness
And a pill that makes all my problems resolved
I got a bullet-proof vest on
And I wiretapped your brain
I want to do this right
Dyno, dynomite
You should have just listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now
I thought we told each other to live in different worlds
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now, over this by now
(Well, sure it's complicated, but I still know)
Oh, there's only so much I can take
(That I can get frustrated and snort that blow)
But I guess we'll never really find out
Never really find out
Rate me and judge me on a graph that you drew
Hope I compare to the friends that left you for dead
I guess I'm not making myself perfectly clear
I guess I'm not making myself perfectly clear
How many times
How many times
How many times is this gonna happen?
How many times
How many times
How many times is this gonna happen?
I've got to blame all these people as fast as I motherfucking can
You were fooled, this ain't no fucking day job
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now, over this by now
(Well, sure it's complicated, but I still know)
Oh, there's only so much I can take
(That I can get frustrated and snort that blow)
But I guess we'll never really find out
Never really find out
Suddenly, we startle ourselves
Staring upon each other in silence, silence
To think this whole time, we're provoking each other in blinding violence
I got a bullet-proof vest on and the cure for AIDS
And a pill that makes me happy
Ask me, I'm fine or I will be
I've got the cure for loneliness
And a pill that makes all my problems resolved
I got a bullet-proof vest on
And I wiretapped your brain
I want to do this right
Dyno, dynomite
You should have just listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now
I thought we told each other to live in different worlds
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now, over this by now
(Well, sure it's complicated, but I still know)
Oh, there's only so much I can take
(That I can get frustrated and snort that blow)
But I guess we'll never really find out
Never really find out
Rate me and judge me on a graph that you drew
Hope I compare to the friends that left you for dead
I guess I'm not making myself perfectly clear
I guess I'm not making myself perfectly clear
How many times
How many times
How many times is this gonna happen?
How many times
How many times
How many times is this gonna happen?
I've got to blame all these people as fast as I motherfucking can
You were fooled, this ain't no fucking day job
Oh, you should have listened to your friends
You would have been over this by now, over this by now
(Well, sure it's complicated, but I still know)
Oh, there's only so much I can take
(That I can get frustrated and snort that blow)
But I guess we'll never really find out
Never really find out
Suddenly, we startle ourselves
Staring upon each other in silence, silence
To think this whole time, we're provoking each other in blinding violence
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
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.
not even gonna bother to look to see if this has already been posted, but the background vocals in the chorus are "i know it's complicated, but i still know that i can get frustrated, and snort that blow"