"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.
Hey, hey
Oh, oh, oh
Fell in love
So, presently I'm standing
Here right now
You're so demanding
Tell me what you want from me
Concluding
Concentrating on my music, lover, and my babies
Makes me wanna ask the lady for a ticket outta town
So can I get a window seat? (Hey)
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Can I get a window seat? (oh oh)
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a chance to fly
A chance to cry
And a long bye bye (oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh
But I, I need you to want me
I need you to miss me
I, I need your attention, yes
I need you next me
Oh I, I need someone to clap for me
I need your direction
Somebody say come back
Come back, baby, come back
I want you to need me
Come back (hey), come back, baby (oh), come back (need me)
Come back, come back, baby, come back (want you to)
Come back, come back, baby, come back (need me)
So, in my mind I'm tusslin'
Back and forth 'tween here and hustlin'
I don't wanna time travel no mo'
I wanna be here
I'm thinking
See, on this porch I'm rockin'
Back and forth light Lightning Hopkins
If anybody speak to Scotty
Tell him beam me up (beam me up)
So can I get a window seat? (hey)
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Can I get a window seat
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a chance to fly
A chance to cry
And a long bye bye
Oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh
But I, I need you to miss me (need)
I need somebody come get me (ooh)
Ah, see, I need your attention, yes and
Need your energy, yes I do
I need someone to clap for me
And I need your direction
Somebody say come back
Come back, baby, come back
I want you to need me
Come back, come back, baby, come back
Come back, come back, baby, come back
Come back, come back, baby, come back
But can I get a window seat?
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Oh-oh, oh (hey)
I just want a chance to fly
A chance to cry
And a long bye bye
Oh, oh, oh
Fell in love
So, presently I'm standing
Here right now
You're so demanding
Tell me what you want from me
Concluding
Concentrating on my music, lover, and my babies
Makes me wanna ask the lady for a ticket outta town
So can I get a window seat? (Hey)
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Can I get a window seat? (oh oh)
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a chance to fly
A chance to cry
And a long bye bye (oh-oh, oh-oh)
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh
But I, I need you to want me
I need you to miss me
I, I need your attention, yes
I need you next me
Oh I, I need someone to clap for me
I need your direction
Somebody say come back
Come back, baby, come back
I want you to need me
Come back (hey), come back, baby (oh), come back (need me)
Come back, come back, baby, come back (want you to)
Come back, come back, baby, come back (need me)
So, in my mind I'm tusslin'
Back and forth 'tween here and hustlin'
I don't wanna time travel no mo'
I wanna be here
I'm thinking
See, on this porch I'm rockin'
Back and forth light Lightning Hopkins
If anybody speak to Scotty
Tell him beam me up (beam me up)
So can I get a window seat? (hey)
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Can I get a window seat
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a chance to fly
A chance to cry
And a long bye bye
Oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh
But I, I need you to miss me (need)
I need somebody come get me (ooh)
Ah, see, I need your attention, yes and
Need your energy, yes I do
I need someone to clap for me
And I need your direction
Somebody say come back
Come back, baby, come back
I want you to need me
Come back, come back, baby, come back
Come back, come back, baby, come back
Come back, come back, baby, come back
But can I get a window seat?
Don't want nobody next to me
I just want a ticket outta town
A look around
And a safe touch down
Oh-oh, oh (hey)
I just want a chance to fly
A chance to cry
And a long bye bye
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
I agree with spectula, alot of contradictions in the song - but I think that is the point. It's part of human nature to contradict, and this contradiction is very common. Wanting one's own private space, and then feeling alone at the same time. Sort of like that saying "we don't know what we've got till it's gone", Erykah doesn't know what she has until she doesn't have it anymore.