"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.
I won't try to bring you down about my suicide
Got no need to understand about my big surprise
Oh I am falling through the sky
You remember this?
I am falling in their eyes
You remember the kiss?
I won't try to bring you down about my suicide
Got no need to understand about my big surprise
I won't beg to hang you up about my love of life
If you promise not to sing about the reasons why
I am writing you a letter
Getting better
Can I see you?
When,
All the lights go out together
Blame the weather
Yeah the cold again
In the darkness for a second
I am sure I see them smiling then
I feel them calling me
Yeah they are calling me
And I am falling through the stars
You remember now?
Yeah I am falling in their arms
You remember how?
Oh I am falling through the sky
You remember this ?
I am falling in their eyes
You remember the kiss?
I won't try to pull you in about my sacrifice
Makes no sense to get upset about the other side
I won't beg to put you out about my right to die
If you promise not to sing about the reasons why
I am calling you at midnight
Feeling alright, can I tell you?
When?
On the line no sound but my words
Must be night birds on the wire again
In the silence for a second
I am sure I hear them laughing then
I feel them calling me
Yeah they are calling me
I am falling through the stars
You remember now
Yeah, I am falling in their arms
You remember how
I am falling through the sky
You remember this
I am falling in their eyes
You remember the kiss
"We know"
They said
"You're holding on
To nothing left of something gone"
"We know"
They said
"In letting go
Of fear and dread
And all you know
You'll lose the need of certainty
And make-believe eternity
To find the true reality
In beautiful infinity"
But I won't try to bring you down about my suicide
If you promise not to sing about the reasons why
Got no need to understand about my big surprise
Oh I am falling through the sky
You remember this?
I am falling in their eyes
You remember the kiss?
I won't try to bring you down about my suicide
Got no need to understand about my big surprise
I won't beg to hang you up about my love of life
If you promise not to sing about the reasons why
I am writing you a letter
Getting better
Can I see you?
When,
All the lights go out together
Blame the weather
Yeah the cold again
In the darkness for a second
I am sure I see them smiling then
I feel them calling me
Yeah they are calling me
And I am falling through the stars
You remember now?
Yeah I am falling in their arms
You remember how?
Oh I am falling through the sky
You remember this ?
I am falling in their eyes
You remember the kiss?
I won't try to pull you in about my sacrifice
Makes no sense to get upset about the other side
I won't beg to put you out about my right to die
If you promise not to sing about the reasons why
I am calling you at midnight
Feeling alright, can I tell you?
When?
On the line no sound but my words
Must be night birds on the wire again
In the silence for a second
I am sure I hear them laughing then
I feel them calling me
Yeah they are calling me
I am falling through the stars
You remember now
Yeah, I am falling in their arms
You remember how
I am falling through the sky
You remember this
I am falling in their eyes
You remember the kiss
"We know"
They said
"You're holding on
To nothing left of something gone"
"We know"
They said
"In letting go
Of fear and dread
And all you know
You'll lose the need of certainty
And make-believe eternity
To find the true reality
In beautiful infinity"
But I won't try to bring you down about my suicide
If you promise not to sing about the reasons why
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
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"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
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 this song is about somebody wanting to commit suicide out of loneliness. "I wont try to bring you down about my suicide, if you promise not to sing about the reasons why" Meaning I wont make you feel bad about it, just dont remind me. Writing somebody a letter and asking when they can see them. Thats what i would think if i didnt know it was about a suicide note in 87'
I think this could possibly be a song about someone committing suicide. They're happy about just letting go and they don't want people to question why they did it.
But I'm taking that meaning from just looking at the lyrics by face value and not delving any deeper.
In an interview with NME Robert said this song was about a suicide note he recieved in 1987. Some of the lines are taken from the letter. He said "I knew the person who sent me the letter. It was a genuine suicide. They would be my age"
We all know Robert likes to lie though...<br /> <br /> This is one of my favourites from the new album :)
This is "a song with lyrics taken from a real-life suicide note that Smith was sent in 1987 ('The Reasons Why' - "I knew the person who sent me the letter. It was a genuine suicide. They would be my age")"
these lyrix r so fucked up
i dont understand much...
This and Siren Song are the best on the new album for that good Cure "pop but still soulful and a bit depressing sound haha."
I'm going to need a few years for this one to sink in though....you cant feel every song automatically.
yeah it's about suicide, i read that NME as well
I am sure I hear them laughing then I feel them calling me Yeah they are calling me...
I am falling through the stars You remember now Yeah, I am falling in their arms You remember how I am falling through the sky You remember this I am falling in their eyes You remember the kiss
that really sums up really deep depression though, so i figure it must be
suicide for sure. it's a sad song but it's just soo fucking great. this song is meant for you to just sit there for ever and listen to it on repeat and let it sink into every single one of your pores. "You'll lose the need of certainty And make-believe eternity To find the true reality In beautiful infinity...." my favorite part.
Yeah, I heard it was about a fan's suicide letter, sad really.