"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.
let's hope we call to them
our dreams and our fears
we'll reach out our arms
to try to find something to love
there's always something to love
you'll reach out your arms
and find something you love
i swear, i swear you'll find it
i swear we all have it in us
and right now it's all we have
this is your lifesaver
this is your lifesaver
this is, this is your lifesaver
this is, this is your calling
when the water is pulling you in
look to the clear skies above
when the water is pulling you in
take a deep breath
take a deep breath before you submerge
i swear we all have it in us
and right now its all we have
this is your lifesaver
this is your lifesaver
i swear, i swear we all have it in us
i swear, i swear we all have it in us
let's hope we call to them
our dreams and our fears
we'll reach out our arms
and find something to love
we open our eyes to stare at the sun
our ambitions should keep us turned away
our hearts will show the way
i swear we all have it in us
and right now it's all we have
this is your lifesaver
this is your lifesaver
stay awake
but don't stop dreaming
promise me you won't stop dreaming
stay awake
believe me when i say,
believe me when i say it's worth it
stay awake
our dreams and our fears
we'll reach out our arms
to try to find something to love
there's always something to love
you'll reach out your arms
and find something you love
i swear, i swear you'll find it
i swear we all have it in us
and right now it's all we have
this is your lifesaver
this is your lifesaver
this is, this is your lifesaver
this is, this is your calling
when the water is pulling you in
look to the clear skies above
when the water is pulling you in
take a deep breath
take a deep breath before you submerge
i swear we all have it in us
and right now its all we have
this is your lifesaver
this is your lifesaver
i swear, i swear we all have it in us
i swear, i swear we all have it in us
let's hope we call to them
our dreams and our fears
we'll reach out our arms
and find something to love
we open our eyes to stare at the sun
our ambitions should keep us turned away
our hearts will show the way
i swear we all have it in us
and right now it's all we have
this is your lifesaver
this is your lifesaver
stay awake
but don't stop dreaming
promise me you won't stop dreaming
stay awake
believe me when i say,
believe me when i say it's worth it
stay awake
Lyrics submitted by Veinzer
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
bomb song :]
meaning..idk probably means whenever things get hard or too overwhelming, you gotta keep looking forward and never lose hope. maybe?
well i don't think it's that hard to figure out... i think it's about someone who had hopes and dreams (as it says,) and they were giving up and the narrator of the song is trying to make the person have more faith in their dreams, and trying to tell the person that they do have a purpose and a chance.
and then again, maybe i'm too negative, but this could easily be about suicide as well.
like, "when the water is pulling you in look to the clear skies above"
water could be anything. society, peers, etc. the water is pulling the person in, and the narrator is just telling them to keep believing, and in the end it'll all be worth it. (ex: believe me when i say, believe me when i say it's worth it stay awake)
and then there's "we'll reach out our arms to try to find something to love there's always something to love you'll reach out your arms and find something you love i swear, i swear you'll find it"
telling the person that it's not the end, and if they think that nobody is there for them, they just need to ask for help and they'll find it.
very well written. aha, props to m.wentworth.
spot on, I agree with all your interpretations. such good lyrics.
This song is about suicide, and how there is always a way out, never give up!!
omg no comments o well hah this song is catchy i like it a lot about the meaning i have no idea =0 lol