"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.
You can take the money
You can take the ride
You can take it all
And never get inside
You can't take my honor
You can't take my soul
You can't take the fact you'll never have control
You won't break me, no matter how hard you try
You can't shake me down
I'm fucking bulletproof
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
You can keep the fortune
And you can have the fame
You can have a shit you never will obtain
But you can't take my virtue
No you can't take me pride
You can't take the anger building up inside
You won't break me, no matter how hard you try
You can't shake me down
I'm fucking bulletproof
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
You won't break me, no matter how hard you try
You can't shake me down
I'm fucking bulletproof
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
You can take the ride
You can take it all
And never get inside
You can't take my honor
You can't take my soul
You can't take the fact you'll never have control
You won't break me, no matter how hard you try
You can't shake me down
I'm fucking bulletproof
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
You can keep the fortune
And you can have the fame
You can have a shit you never will obtain
But you can't take my virtue
No you can't take me pride
You can't take the anger building up inside
You won't break me, no matter how hard you try
You can't shake me down
I'm fucking bulletproof
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
You won't break me, no matter how hard you try
You can't shake me down
I'm fucking bulletproof
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
All I learned
It's like poison
All I know
Inside my veins
All I see
It's like venom
All I know
It's all that remains
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Since he wrote this song while he was very pissed off, this song is basically a big FU to everyone around him.