"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.
This is the word, here in the flesh
Living among the meek and lowly
The voice of God, His every breath
Salvation of the world unfolding
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven
Hosanna, hosanna
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Hey
This is His heart upon the cross
And from His wounds His mercies flowing, yeah
And from the dawn, put death to death
And ever since that grave’s been empty (Yeah)
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven
Hosanna, hosanna
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven (See the Son of Heaven)
Hosanna, hosanna
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Oh, sing His name
We love your name (Oh)
This is His home here in our chest
At every door our Savior’s knocking
Oh let Him in, oh let Him out
With every yes His kingdom’s coming (As we sing it)
The sound of every saint rejoicing (As we sing Your name)
Oh, Jesus Christ the hope of Glory (Behold)
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son, Son of Heaven (Of Heaven)
Hosanna, hosanna (Hosanna, pour it out)
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus (We behold Him)
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven (Oh see the Son of Heaven)
Hosanna, hosanna (Oh)
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus (Pour it out)
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Oh, Jesus, Jesus (Sing His name)
Oh we love Your name
Yeah we love Your name, hey (We love Your name, we love Your name)
Jesus, Je-, no sweeter name than
Jesus, Jesus
Oh sickness bows at the name of
Jesus (No sweeter name than)
Jesus (Oh we love the name of)
Jesus (Oh the King of Kings is)
Jesus (Haha, yeah, declare it over your family, His name is)
Jesus (It’s the name above all names, it is)
Jesus (Oh, we’ll never grow tired of singing)
Jesus (Behold the Son of Heaven)
Jesus (Oh sing His name)
Jesus, Jesus, hey yeah
Jesus (We love Your name)
Jesus (We love Your name)
All hail King Jesus
All hail King Jesus
All hail King Jesus
Sing His name
Jesus
Jesus (Oh)
Jesus
Jesus (Oh)
No greater name, no greater name
You must be praised, ha
You must be praised
No greater name, no greater name
Oh, You sit high and look low
You sit high and look low
All power belongs to Him, woo
Hey, all power belongs to Him
Oh, all hail King Jesus
The One who was, the One who is, and is to come
Worthy is His name
Worthy is His name
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gon-, we gotta the tell the world about it (Gonna get louder)
We’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna, hey (Get louder)
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever and ever
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever and ever
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever and ever
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever
Oh we’re gonna get louder
We're gonna get louder
Oh we’re gonna get louder
We're gonna get louder
Yeah we're gonna get
And we're gonna get louder
We're gonna get louder
Oh, we're gon- (Gonna get louder)
Lift up your voice, lift up your
Worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh, woah
Jesus, Je- (Jesus, Jesus)
Je-, Je- (Jesus, Jesus)
I’ll never stop singing the name of
Jesus, Jesus
It’s why we’re here, it’s why we came
For Je- (Jesus)
What a holy man
Je- (Jesus)
The only perfect man
Je-, you can trust Him, you can love Him (Jesus)
Je-, because He loves you more than you could ever know (Jesus)
Je-, He’ll never turn His back on you (Jesus)
He’s never running out on you (Jesus)
'Cause all blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever, it's Yours, God
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever
I heard the Spirit say
The Cross is still the answer
And the blood is still the blood
And the Cross is still the answer
Yes, the blood is still the blood (Oh, woah)
The Cross is still the answer (Answer)
Not politics, no, no, no (Hey)
The blood is still (The blood)
And the Cross still stands, hey
The Cross is still, it's our answer, our answer (The answer, oh)
And the blood is still the blood
Declare it over our nation, over your family
The Cross (Is still the answer)
Hey (And the blood is still the blood)
Oh we love the blood of Jesus
Oh the Cross (Is still the answer)
It's where I go, it's where I stay (Oh, woah)
And the blood, hey (Is still the blood)
Oh it never gets old, it never gets old
'Cause the Cross (Is still the answer)
Hey, oh the blood is still the blood
It still works, it still works, it still works (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Oh the Cross is still, hey, hey (The answer)
And the blood is still the blood
It's where we run, it's where we hide
It's where we come alive
At the foot of the Cross
Oh, hey, still (The blood is still the blood, oh-oh-oh-oh)
The Cross is still the an- (The answer)
And the blood is still the blood, thank You Jesus
That the Cross is still the answer
And the blood is still the blood
Living among the meek and lowly
The voice of God, His every breath
Salvation of the world unfolding
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven
Hosanna, hosanna
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Hey
This is His heart upon the cross
And from His wounds His mercies flowing, yeah
And from the dawn, put death to death
And ever since that grave’s been empty (Yeah)
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven
Hosanna, hosanna
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven (See the Son of Heaven)
Hosanna, hosanna
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Oh, sing His name
We love your name (Oh)
This is His home here in our chest
At every door our Savior’s knocking
Oh let Him in, oh let Him out
With every yes His kingdom’s coming (As we sing it)
The sound of every saint rejoicing (As we sing Your name)
Oh, Jesus Christ the hope of Glory (Behold)
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son, Son of Heaven (Of Heaven)
Hosanna, hosanna (Hosanna, pour it out)
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus (We behold Him)
Behold Him, behold Him
Lift up your eyes, see the Son of Heaven (Oh see the Son of Heaven)
Hosanna, hosanna (Oh)
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus (Pour it out)
Pour out your praise, sing the name of Jesus
Oh, Jesus, Jesus (Sing His name)
Oh we love Your name
Yeah we love Your name, hey (We love Your name, we love Your name)
Jesus, Je-, no sweeter name than
Jesus, Jesus
Oh sickness bows at the name of
Jesus (No sweeter name than)
Jesus (Oh we love the name of)
Jesus (Oh the King of Kings is)
Jesus (Haha, yeah, declare it over your family, His name is)
Jesus (It’s the name above all names, it is)
Jesus (Oh, we’ll never grow tired of singing)
Jesus (Behold the Son of Heaven)
Jesus (Oh sing His name)
Jesus, Jesus, hey yeah
Jesus (We love Your name)
Jesus (We love Your name)
All hail King Jesus
All hail King Jesus
All hail King Jesus
Sing His name
Jesus
Jesus (Oh)
Jesus
Jesus (Oh)
No greater name, no greater name
You must be praised, ha
You must be praised
No greater name, no greater name
Oh, You sit high and look low
You sit high and look low
All power belongs to Him, woo
Hey, all power belongs to Him
Oh, all hail King Jesus
The One who was, the One who is, and is to come
Worthy is His name
Worthy is His name
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gon-, we gotta the tell the world about it (Gonna get louder)
We’re gonna get louder, hey
Oh we’re gonna, hey (Get louder)
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever and ever
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever and ever
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever and ever
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever
Oh we’re gonna get louder
We're gonna get louder
Oh we’re gonna get louder
We're gonna get louder
Yeah we're gonna get
And we're gonna get louder
We're gonna get louder
Oh, we're gon- (Gonna get louder)
Lift up your voice, lift up your
Worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh, woah
Jesus, Je- (Jesus, Jesus)
Je-, Je- (Jesus, Jesus)
I’ll never stop singing the name of
Jesus, Jesus
It’s why we’re here, it’s why we came
For Je- (Jesus)
What a holy man
Je- (Jesus)
The only perfect man
Je-, you can trust Him, you can love Him (Jesus)
Je-, because He loves you more than you could ever know (Jesus)
Je-, He’ll never turn His back on you (Jesus)
He’s never running out on you (Jesus)
'Cause all blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever, it's Yours, God
All blessing and honor
Dominion and power
Forever and ever and ever
I heard the Spirit say
The Cross is still the answer
And the blood is still the blood
And the Cross is still the answer
Yes, the blood is still the blood (Oh, woah)
The Cross is still the answer (Answer)
Not politics, no, no, no (Hey)
The blood is still (The blood)
And the Cross still stands, hey
The Cross is still, it's our answer, our answer (The answer, oh)
And the blood is still the blood
Declare it over our nation, over your family
The Cross (Is still the answer)
Hey (And the blood is still the blood)
Oh we love the blood of Jesus
Oh the Cross (Is still the answer)
It's where I go, it's where I stay (Oh, woah)
And the blood, hey (Is still the blood)
Oh it never gets old, it never gets old
'Cause the Cross (Is still the answer)
Hey, oh the blood is still the blood
It still works, it still works, it still works (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Oh the Cross is still, hey, hey (The answer)
And the blood is still the blood
It's where we run, it's where we hide
It's where we come alive
At the foot of the Cross
Oh, hey, still (The blood is still the blood, oh-oh-oh-oh)
The Cross is still the an- (The answer)
And the blood is still the blood, thank You Jesus
That the Cross is still the answer
And the blood is still the blood
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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.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.