"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.
Hear that outside? Go feed the dogs
They're begging, barking, bashing at their homes
Cold and wet and dirty like the earth
That mashes muddy molding marching boots
Now rain is beating beats and beading down the view
That foggy, hazy drumming of the rain
Hear that outside? They're coming in
They're banging, knocking, shouting at the door
Fists are heavy, pounds of pounding placed
Firm and steady rhythms that they pace
Out and in and in and out, we named
Everything and everyone we've known
Hear that outside? We lost our homes
Given up in loans and time we paid
Worth more to us than them, so we end
Our lives with backs that strained to find
A pretty place and life to call our own
A place that we will never, ever know
Hear that outside? We lost the war
How easy it is done, if we never knew
It started back before I was born
All of us, all of us were rubber souls
We borrowed life and shared it with our own
And now we need to stretch and find our own
Hear that outside? Go feed the dogs
They're begging, barking, bashing at their homes
Cold and wet and dirty like the earth
That mashes muddy molding marching boots
Now rain is beating beats and beading down the view
That foggy, hazy drumming of that rain
Hear that outside? It's changing airs
And bleeding out the colors of the world
They're begging, barking, bashing at their homes
Cold and wet and dirty like the earth
That mashes muddy molding marching boots
Now rain is beating beats and beading down the view
That foggy, hazy drumming of the rain
Hear that outside? They're coming in
They're banging, knocking, shouting at the door
Fists are heavy, pounds of pounding placed
Firm and steady rhythms that they pace
Out and in and in and out, we named
Everything and everyone we've known
Hear that outside? We lost our homes
Given up in loans and time we paid
Worth more to us than them, so we end
Our lives with backs that strained to find
A pretty place and life to call our own
A place that we will never, ever know
Hear that outside? We lost the war
How easy it is done, if we never knew
It started back before I was born
All of us, all of us were rubber souls
We borrowed life and shared it with our own
And now we need to stretch and find our own
Hear that outside? Go feed the dogs
They're begging, barking, bashing at their homes
Cold and wet and dirty like the earth
That mashes muddy molding marching boots
Now rain is beating beats and beading down the view
That foggy, hazy drumming of that rain
Hear that outside? It's changing airs
And bleeding out the colors of the world
Lyrics submitted by lendmeyourbrain
Out and In and In and Out Lyrics as written by John Baldwin Gourley
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
beautiful.
so far my favorite song on the album.
each album has a different sound, but in a good/orgasmic way.
i love how most of the song is a consistent buildup
The lyrics look good except the 4th line in the first and last verse should be that mashes muddy molding marching boots (basically switch muddy and molding in what's above)<br /> <br /> Aside from the technicalities... This song is full of imagery and alliteration so its not surprising that we can interpret this song in a number of different ways... in my opinion that is the mark of an influential song... I don't want to attempt to decipher the meaning that PtheMan had in mind when they wrote this (if they had a particular idea in mind to begin with) but I personally get the sense that this is about human struggle in general... in terms more relevant to our times I find this describes the war in Afghanistan... First, the imagery reminds me of a dark, cold, wet place not full of anything positive, but full of activity. In addition, it sounds as if this song is in the mind of a soldier who is simply noticing everything around him... including the idea that we "lost the war"... Understanding its not his fault, nor anyone else's, but simply the product of extreme idealism fighting for turf, when all thats necessary is an understanding of common ground, namely that we are all human<br />
Cold and wet and dirty like the earth. Best line ever.
i have no idea what this song is about. portugal is by far my favorite band and i understand most of the songs but this one is tough. could it be about the government running our lives or anything like that? id like to hear what you guys think
i get like a serf noble man relationship vibe.
Meaning - it seems simple to me, but my mind and John's seem to share some similar thoughts. I also know a little about him. But the repeating lines, such as those describing the dogs and whatnot, are loose depictions of his home in Alaska. The rest goes on to talk about a recurring theme in a lot of his music, which is related to the way the "system" works in this world. It describes toiling away and basically giving all of your time to banks and those with money just to try and be able to get a piece of land / life / peace of mind for yourself. The lyrics continue by saying it's futile. Which I don't particularly like, myself. The PNW, and Alaska, are somewhat unique in that people are much more interested in really carving out a piece of life for themselves - land is a little more open and people are a little more of the homesteading type. I also find it amusing, though I don't wish to badmouth him in any way, but the way John talks about that stuff. The guy was working construction until a chance to sing for a friend's band came up, and granted he paid some dues in getting Portugal up and running to the point they came to with all the success, but he often refers to back breaking labor and unwarranted work, though his family is blue collar and he would have been had he not gotten into music like he did. And while he works hard at the music thing, a lot of it is sitting around with friends. Just ironic to me... Not to say he wouldn't understand, but maybe then it's just me fighting with the depressing nature of the lyrics - trust the NW to be depressed about shit.
Meaning - it seems simple to me, but my mind and John's seem to share some similar thoughts. I also know a little about him. But the repeating lines, such as those describing the dogs and whatnot, are loose depictions of his home in Alaska. The rest goes on to talk about a recurring theme in a lot of his music, which is related to the way the "system" works in this world. It describes toiling away and basically giving all of your time to banks and those with money just to try and be able to get a piece of land / life / peace of mind for yourself. The lyrics continue by saying it's futile. Which I don't particularly like, myself. The PNW, and Alaska, are somewhat unique in that people are much more interested in really carving out a piece of life for themselves - land is a little more open and people are a little more of the homesteading type. I also find it amusing, though I don't wish to badmouth him in any way, but the way John talks about that stuff. The guy was working construction until a chance to sing for a friend's band came up, and granted he paid some dues in getting Portugal up and running to the point they came to with all the success, but he often refers to back breaking labor and unwarranted work, though his family is blue collar and he would have been had he not gotten into music like he did. And while he works hard at the music thing, a lot of it is sitting around with friends. Just ironic to me... Not to say he wouldn't understand, but maybe then it's just me fighting with the depressing nature of the lyrics - trust the NW to be depressed about shit.