"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.
You can find your hope
Amongst the crowds
Of all the people you've let down
We'll find a way to make this ok
We always skipped through the nights
It's all that we need to
And maybe it's all we could ever need
Just to make us feel alive
You are, you are the only one
You are, you are the only way
I will never give up on you for
All the times you sat and sang to me,
Tried to make me better
So now I'll try to let you know that
This is the english way to make a soul fit back together
Please don't speak these words just save them
Walk with me and take a trip
We'll only stop for water and some other things
We always skipped through the nights
It's all that we need to
And maybe it's all that we'll ever need
Just to make us feel alive
You are, you are the only one
You are, you are the only way
I will never give up on you for
All the times you sat and sang to me
Tried and make me better
So now I'll try to let you know that
This is the english way to make a soul fit back together
Too many lives have been lost
Unto all this of too many people that have lost their voices
I will never give up on you for
All the times you sat and sang to me
Tried to make me better
So now I'll try to let you know that
This is the english way to make a soul fit back together
Amongst the crowds
Of all the people you've let down
We'll find a way to make this ok
We always skipped through the nights
It's all that we need to
And maybe it's all we could ever need
Just to make us feel alive
You are, you are the only one
You are, you are the only way
I will never give up on you for
All the times you sat and sang to me,
Tried to make me better
So now I'll try to let you know that
This is the english way to make a soul fit back together
Please don't speak these words just save them
Walk with me and take a trip
We'll only stop for water and some other things
We always skipped through the nights
It's all that we need to
And maybe it's all that we'll ever need
Just to make us feel alive
You are, you are the only one
You are, you are the only way
I will never give up on you for
All the times you sat and sang to me
Tried and make me better
So now I'll try to let you know that
This is the english way to make a soul fit back together
Too many lives have been lost
Unto all this of too many people that have lost their voices
I will never give up on you for
All the times you sat and sang to me
Tried to make me better
So now I'll try to let you know that
This is the english way to make a soul fit back together
Lyrics submitted by DyingInTheSun
The English Way Lyrics as written by Daniel Haigh Omar Abidi
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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.
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I think it's about never giving up on something...because that's the English way...like..The English throughout history have never given up on anything
Cool new song...can't wait for album number 3
It's about the decline of English (and by extension western) society, and trying to fix it in an English way, by not giving up on it. It's on the next album which is to be released in the summer of 2009. MTV2 said (wrongly) that it was on the rarities album 'Alternate Endings' but it's still definitely worth buying.
I Love This song. Idunno if this is totally wrong but what i got was that he was telling someone that he would never give up on them as repayment for all of the times they have helped him so much. Maybe it's someone he knows from another country because that is "The English Way", to never give up like we have never given up on anything throughout history like goslon567 said. (Yes I Am English ^^) I think theres much more to this and m interested to see what people add. x x x Great Song Though, really like it =]
I found this in an interview
“ I think the English way is just that old gentlemanly pat on the back you get from one of your friends, that's pretty much what I thought you know” Charlie explains, when I ask if the song has a specific meaning.
“It's about being neat and tidy” Dan explains with a hint of a smile
Alex nods “ It's about rediscovering England's identity and about promoting unity, and about promoting what we used to have”
“I don't think we're that patriotic as a nation any more and we used to be and Scotland, if you look at the Scot's, they are so patriotic, Irish, Welsh they all are proud of where they're from” Charlie continues
“ Patriotism has been hijacked by football, and it's not a good thing, and it's not cool to be English any more and it's not cool to be proud of whatever your country” Dan admits “And I think we're just trying to maybe have a quick stab at asking the question why not? And wouldn't it be cool if it was like the old days again”
“It's like a love song really, basically” Alex summarises
“It is, it is, that's the great thing though, I mean at the root of it there is a love song in there, but it unifies everything that Dan was saying in the fact that, you know we are one of the most patriotic countries ever, Britain, England, whatever, and I just think that's been diluted so, fuck I want it back man” Charlie adds with a slight sigh
Dan goes on to add “And we did some great shit, and some bad shit over history, but predominantly good shit”
A whimsical Charlie just wants one thing. “I just want to hold a sword and put it in the sky, just hold a sword in the air.”
I feel the same way, during the olympics or anything i get really patriotic, proud to be english/british :D
just some ideas... iraq war... pride in our country.. how society is divided.. how we all should pull together like we used to in times of trouble..
love this song. love fightstar
love england lol
Definately Iraq... and all the politiions involved in "letting down the crowds..." an anti-Bush(and friends) song, but with positive message of... "Let's get over it and move on as a country, and as a world". <br /> <br /> I think England really does have a "way" for this... They sure got over both world wars and years of IRA terrorism etc, and the London Underground bombings faster than their American counterparts didn't... <br /> <br /> lol... I know this is a bit late, but it takes a bit longer for Fightstar to make it across the Atlantic.
Definately Iraq... and all the polititions involved in "letting down the crowds..." It's an anti-Bush(and friends) song, but with positive message of... "Let's get over it and move on as a country, and as a world".
I think England really does have a "way" for this... They sure got over both world wars and years of IRA terrorism etc, and the London Underground bombings faster than their American counterparts didn't...
lol... I know this is a bit late, but it takes a bit longer for Fightstar to make it across the Atlantic.
On youtube there's a video of them having an interview on this song and it says that it is more of a patriotic song :)
I think it's about a family falling out for a long time and he's referring to his mum singing to him when he was young, and he's trying to do what she did to bring the family back together. And the 'English Way' meaning he never gave up on trying. ;)