"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.
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood
I move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Babe, I want to be your man
Well it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah, I'm your boy
Your 20th century toy
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood
Fly like a plane
Drive like a car
Ball like a hound
Babe I want to be your man
Well it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yea I'm your toy
Your 20th century boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood
Move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Oh, babe I want to be your man
Well it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yea I'm your toy
Your 20th century boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century boy
I want to be your toy
20th century boy
I want to be your toy
Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood
I move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Babe, I want to be your man
Well it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yeah, I'm your boy
Your 20th century toy
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood
Fly like a plane
Drive like a car
Ball like a hound
Babe I want to be your man
Well it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yea I'm your toy
Your 20th century boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
Friends say it's fine
Friends say it's good
Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood
Move like a cat
Charge like a ram
Sting like a bee
Oh, babe I want to be your man
Well it's plain to see
You were meant for me
Yea I'm your toy
Your 20th century boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century toy
I want to be your boy
20th century boy
I want to be your toy
20th century boy
I want to be your toy
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
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.
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.
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.
I'm pretty sure it's "Everybody says it's just like Robin Hood".
the lyrics are spot on, it's your ears that are bad. listen to the song again. Talk like a rat? How does a rat talk? Charge like a ram works much better. (Espescially given all the sexual innuendo in the song) just like robin hood? What the hell??? Who are you, the sheriff of nottingham?
@bazmeg XD
Spot on save for the mix up of a couple lines. It should read:
20th Century TOY I wanna be your BOY.
The last two lines printed are correct. Other than that minor mistake, all lyrics are correct.
are you sure these lyrics are correct?
dunno. i always thought they said "walk like a cat, talk like a rat, sting like a bee..." and "every body says its just like robin hood" at some point, but then again i too have been known for having, um, very original song lyric interpretations.
bolans finest moment,a great aggressive rock/pop track played and sang like marc bolan really meant it
I think this is one of the most brilliant songs ever. I mean, Placebo did a fantastic cover, but it's no T Rex (especially with that little orgasmic shout in the beginning).
I believe that the lyrics are open to interpretation. His lyrics never made much sense anyway, so I think however you mean to sing it is how it's meant to be sung.
The 3rd line does mention Robin Hood! Its a great song,considering that after an ealy flourish(Ride a white swan,Get it on etc.)Bolan ran out of ideas for lyrics...infact I'd consider him to be one of the worst ever...real schoolboy stuff!(e.g.Metal Guru,Telegram Sam etc.etc.)
At last! After all these years I find other people who hear "just like Robin Hood" in the lyric. I have been singing this line for years in a covers band I'm in, and I only discovered I might be wrong when I sang the song at a Karaoke, and the lyrics were on the screen. Whatever the rights or wrongs, I love the idea that Marc might just have sang "... Robin Hood". It kinda fits with Marc's lyrical outlook, as well as with the song in general. I also hear the line "... hold like a hand" instead of "...ball like a hound". And it definitely is "...talk like a rat"!
Marc Bolan Is My Favourite SongWriter Of All Time.
@jbjamieblack Bowie was the songwriter