"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'm living in a waiting room on the tenth floor of a New York City skyscraper
Got the paperwork filled out my friend
Can you tell me how this story ends?
My best girl caught a taxi cab to an uptown bar to meet my band but I don't have the energy so she plugs my machines back in
And the late night T.V. talks to me about God but God why can't I sleep?
As she plugs my machines back in
But my machines back in now don't cha'
Diane
(Diane)
I'd by lying if I said this was my plan
(Diane)
We are all in this together
(Diane)
See I'm trying but I just don't understand
(Diane)
Well I can't predict the weather past the storm
(The weather past the storm)
And there's mornings where I wake up quick and my head it dreams and my stomach's sick alone
To slowly pull the sun from bed
Below the fifty-ninth street bridge
And I feel like I'm a battle tank but there's peace for every pound of strength
I'm waiting for the enemy
While she plugs my machines back in
(Back in)
Diane
(Diane)
I'd be lying if I said this was my plan
(Diane)
We are all in this together
(Diane)
See I'm trying but I just don't understand
(Diane)
Well I can't predict the weather past the storm
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
I'm living in a waiting room on the tenth floor of a New York City skyscraper
Got the paperwork filled out my friend
Got the paperwork filled out my friend
Can you tell me how this story ends?
My best girl caught a taxi cab to an uptown bar to meet my band but I don't have the energy so she plugs my machines back in
And the late night T.V. talks to me about God but God why can't I sleep?
As she plugs my machines back in
But my machines back in now don't cha'
Diane
(Diane)
I'd by lying if I said this was my plan
(Diane)
We are all in this together
(Diane)
See I'm trying but I just don't understand
(Diane)
Well I can't predict the weather past the storm
(The weather past the storm)
And there's mornings where I wake up quick and my head it dreams and my stomach's sick alone
To slowly pull the sun from bed
Below the fifty-ninth street bridge
And I feel like I'm a battle tank but there's peace for every pound of strength
I'm waiting for the enemy
While she plugs my machines back in
(Back in)
Diane
(Diane)
I'd be lying if I said this was my plan
(Diane)
We are all in this together
(Diane)
See I'm trying but I just don't understand
(Diane)
Well I can't predict the weather past the storm
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
(The weather past the storm)
I'm living in a waiting room on the tenth floor of a New York City skyscraper
Got the paperwork filled out my friend
Lyrics submitted by circa_breathe
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
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.
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/
this song, like the other music on the Dear Jack EP, is about Andrew's battle with leukemia. he talks about his life in the hospital. the paperwork could be DNR papers? or just some sort of papers having to do with the hospital. it describes the uncertainty that he has, lying in the hospital bed. his "best girl" (is this Diane or Katie, his wife?) goes to meet the rest of the band, but he is too sickly and stays in the room to rest. the chorus is about his battle with death as well as the uncertainty that he constantly has. the whole song is so emotion-filled, it's really touching.
oops, his wife is kelley not katie. katie is his sister.
I get the feeling that Diane may be the nurse. And Katie is his sister, I believe she gave Andrew bone marrow and helped save his life.
Im beginning to notice a theme in this new jacks mannequin music. i know Andrew has said in interviews that the name annie from annie use your telescope is a version of his wifes middle name. Well now we get this song called diane, which also incorporates the name "anne" in it. I think its probably about his wife again.
This is song is actually about the first nurse he had when we was still in NYC before leaving for LA.
well if thats right then sweet. listening to it i thought diane was just another way of say "dying" and its not part of his....like he's trying to grasp the meaning behind the disease and dying.
i think "Diane" was used as a sort of play on words for "Dying." if you listen to the song in that connotation, it brings new meaning about his struggle with leukemia.
If you watch Andrew McMahon's documentary, Dear Jack, he talks about how his nurse survived the same form of leukemia he had. I believe this is about her.
McMahon explained to Spin magazine that Diane in this song, "was my nurse in the first week that I was in New York, getting diagnosed. It was really the only song that I wrote while I was in the hospital, probably on the second night that I was there, and did a demo of it a year or two later. I love the song."