"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.
It's okay to have scars, they will make you who you are
It's okay to have fear, as long as you're not scared of coming here
And in the middle of the night, just call if you wanna talk
'Cause you know that I want to talk, too
It's not bad of you to think of what might go wrong
But you can't blame me for secretly hoping that I'll prove you wrong
It's okay that I pray that you will miss your flight
And have to stay with me another night
It is brutal, it's brutal
Why can't you see?
It's brutal, it's brutal
Where have you been?
'Cause we're far apart, and my lonely heart
Finds it hard to get through the night
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
When we're out in the market and out on the streets
I've got a pocket full of problems and a pocket full of seeds
Hoping something good might grow out of this mistletoe
And I won't have to erase your memory
I like the way that our arguments stop when we fall asleep
And the way that your body feels when it's wrapped around me
And I'd like it if you made it to mine by Christmas Eve
So you can hold me
And we'll watch Christmas TV
It is brutal, it's brutal
Why can't you see?
It's brutal, it's brutal
Where have you been?
'Cause we're far apart, and my lonely heart
Finds it hard to get through the night
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
So come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
One, two, three, four
It's okay to have fear, as long as you're not scared of coming here
And in the middle of the night, just call if you wanna talk
'Cause you know that I want to talk, too
It's not bad of you to think of what might go wrong
But you can't blame me for secretly hoping that I'll prove you wrong
It's okay that I pray that you will miss your flight
And have to stay with me another night
It is brutal, it's brutal
Why can't you see?
It's brutal, it's brutal
Where have you been?
'Cause we're far apart, and my lonely heart
Finds it hard to get through the night
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
When we're out in the market and out on the streets
I've got a pocket full of problems and a pocket full of seeds
Hoping something good might grow out of this mistletoe
And I won't have to erase your memory
I like the way that our arguments stop when we fall asleep
And the way that your body feels when it's wrapped around me
And I'd like it if you made it to mine by Christmas Eve
So you can hold me
And we'll watch Christmas TV
It is brutal, it's brutal
Why can't you see?
It's brutal, it's brutal
Where have you been?
'Cause we're far apart, and my lonely heart
Finds it hard to get through the night
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
You pull me out of the dark, and now it's light
So come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
Just come on home
One, two, three, four
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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.
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.
Great song but are you sure its not "where have you been"? (pronounced more like bean) instead of "What have you be". Not an expert on this song but thats what it sounds like to me
Also "Hoping something GOOD might grow out of this misletoe"
"And the way that YOUR body feels when it's wrapped around me"