"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.
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
Bout the things I left behind
A suitcase in Helsinki
Full of things I wanna set on fire
For I realise that you’ve been lying
And no matter how hard I try
I won’t be able to forget this
‘Cause this buried deep inside
Meaning what I left behind
What I left behind
Left behind
What I left behind
So I’m gonna fly back to Helsinki
and even stay there for a while
Gonna get my things back
Gonna get some fun
And drink til I pass out
Gonna jump on to the table
And dance my ass off til I die
And then I’ll hopefully forget you
And quit those nightmares I’ve been having
Every night, every day
It’s the same so hard to explain
1 million pounds won’t be enough
To make me stare back at your face
That’s what I left behind, left behind
What I left behind, left behind
Left behind, what I left behind
Left behind
Every night, every day
It’s the same so hard to explain
1 million pounds won’t be enough
To make me stare back at your face
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
About the things I left behind
A suitcase in Helsinki
Full of things I wanna set on fire
I’m gonna jump on to the table
And dance my ass off til I die
And then I’ll hopefully forget you
And quit those nightmares I’ve been having
Every night, every day
It’s the same so hard to explain
1 million pounds won’t be enough
To make me stare back at your face (x2)
That’s what I left behind
Bout the things I left behind
A suitcase in Helsinki
Full of things I wanna set on fire
For I realise that you’ve been lying
And no matter how hard I try
I won’t be able to forget this
‘Cause this buried deep inside
Meaning what I left behind
What I left behind
Left behind
What I left behind
So I’m gonna fly back to Helsinki
and even stay there for a while
Gonna get my things back
Gonna get some fun
And drink til I pass out
Gonna jump on to the table
And dance my ass off til I die
And then I’ll hopefully forget you
And quit those nightmares I’ve been having
Every night, every day
It’s the same so hard to explain
1 million pounds won’t be enough
To make me stare back at your face
That’s what I left behind, left behind
What I left behind, left behind
Left behind, what I left behind
Left behind
Every night, every day
It’s the same so hard to explain
1 million pounds won’t be enough
To make me stare back at your face
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
Baby you’ve got me thinkin’
About the things I left behind
A suitcase in Helsinki
Full of things I wanna set on fire
I’m gonna jump on to the table
And dance my ass off til I die
And then I’ll hopefully forget you
And quit those nightmares I’ve been having
Every night, every day
It’s the same so hard to explain
1 million pounds won’t be enough
To make me stare back at your face (x2)
That’s what I left behind
Lyrics submitted by to_x_to
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.
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”
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental 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.
Pretty sure it's "And /quit/ those nightmares i've been having" Awesome song, bit different from CSS but still good.
I see this song as the obvious, getting over a break-up by going somewhere and basically having a good time, even if the relationship does still haunt them.
ha! thanks, dont really know i got that wrong, now that i listen to it again XD.
I'm dissapointed at all the negative reviews about Donkey, while i agree it's not as good as their first album, they still are putting out very catchy, fun songs.
I agree about the meaning of this song as well, getting over a relationship blah blah blah.
i like donkey tbh. in fact, maybe i even prefer the new style. idk. but yeah, i think it's about forgetting an ex, the break up and the relationship. and the best way to do that of course is just to have a good time and not sit around moping. :) great song IMO.