"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 feel the change in weather
I wish I never met her
This shit is taking over me
I wrote it in a letter
I said we'd be forever now this is what you left for me
I'm laying in my bed and you're not by my side
All the promises was said and my heart broke inside
It hurts so much it didn't work out
We tried so hard couldn't figure it out
Thought she was the one but now I see
That she ain't the girl that was meant for me
So I drove away didn't watch my back
And I can't deny I'ma call her back
'Cause I really really love her
I love her
'Cause she was the girl that was meant for me
She was meant for me so i never gave up
And I know it seems that I always give up
But when I can't breathe then I know it's real
That she was the girl that was meant for me [x2]
We putting it together
It's getting harder than ever
But this is how its gotta be
I wanna make it better
I say I want it better
So this is how I really feel
I ain't neva been hurt like this before
So find some supplement
And I can't take it anymore
It hurts so much it didn't work out
We tried so hard couldn't figure it out
Thought she was the one but now I see
That she ain't the girl that was meant for me
So I drove away didn't watch my back
And I can't deny I'ma call her back
'Cause I really really love her
I love her
'Cause she was the girl that was meant for me
She was meant for me so i never gave up
And I know it seems that I always give up
But when I can't breathe then I know it's real
That she was the girl that was meant for me [x2]
Do you see me crying now for you
Do you see me reaching out for you
Do you see that I am there for you
Do you see how much I care for you
Do you see that I'll be there for you
Do you see that I am meant for you
I wish I never met her
This shit is taking over me
I wrote it in a letter
I said we'd be forever now this is what you left for me
I'm laying in my bed and you're not by my side
All the promises was said and my heart broke inside
It hurts so much it didn't work out
We tried so hard couldn't figure it out
Thought she was the one but now I see
That she ain't the girl that was meant for me
So I drove away didn't watch my back
And I can't deny I'ma call her back
'Cause I really really love her
I love her
'Cause she was the girl that was meant for me
She was meant for me so i never gave up
And I know it seems that I always give up
But when I can't breathe then I know it's real
That she was the girl that was meant for me [x2]
We putting it together
It's getting harder than ever
But this is how its gotta be
I wanna make it better
I say I want it better
So this is how I really feel
I ain't neva been hurt like this before
So find some supplement
And I can't take it anymore
It hurts so much it didn't work out
We tried so hard couldn't figure it out
Thought she was the one but now I see
That she ain't the girl that was meant for me
So I drove away didn't watch my back
And I can't deny I'ma call her back
'Cause I really really love her
I love her
'Cause she was the girl that was meant for me
She was meant for me so i never gave up
And I know it seems that I always give up
But when I can't breathe then I know it's real
That she was the girl that was meant for me [x2]
Do you see me crying now for you
Do you see me reaching out for you
Do you see that I am there for you
Do you see how much I care for you
Do you see that I'll be there for you
Do you see that I am meant for you
Lyrics submitted by PrincessStacey
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.