"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.
The businessmen are drinking my blood
Like the kids in art school said they would
And I guess I'll just begin again
You say, "can we still be friends?"
If I was scared
I would
And if I was bored
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
All the kids have always known
That the emperor wears no clothes
But they bow to down to him anyway
'Cause it's better than being alone
If I was scared
I would
And if I was bored
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now you're knocking at my door
Saying, "please come out with us tonight"
But I would rather be alone
Than pretend that I feel alright
If the businessmen are drinking my blood
Like the kids in art school said they would
Then I guess I'll just begin again
You say, "can we still be friends"
If I was scared
I would
And if I was pure
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now, I'm ready to start
If I was scared
I would
And if I was pure
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now, I'm ready to start
Now, I'm ready to start
I would rather be wrong
Than live in the shadows of your song
My mind is open wide
And now I'm ready to start
Now I'm ready to start
My mind is open wide
And now I'm ready to start
You're not sure you'll open the door
To step out into the dark
Now I'm ready
Like the kids in art school said they would
And I guess I'll just begin again
You say, "can we still be friends?"
If I was scared
I would
And if I was bored
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
All the kids have always known
That the emperor wears no clothes
But they bow to down to him anyway
'Cause it's better than being alone
If I was scared
I would
And if I was bored
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now you're knocking at my door
Saying, "please come out with us tonight"
But I would rather be alone
Than pretend that I feel alright
If the businessmen are drinking my blood
Like the kids in art school said they would
Then I guess I'll just begin again
You say, "can we still be friends"
If I was scared
I would
And if I was pure
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now, I'm ready to start
If I was scared
I would
And if I was pure
You know I would
And if I was yours
But I'm not
Now, I'm ready to start
Now, I'm ready to start
I would rather be wrong
Than live in the shadows of your song
My mind is open wide
And now I'm ready to start
Now I'm ready to start
My mind is open wide
And now I'm ready to start
You're not sure you'll open the door
To step out into the dark
Now I'm ready
Lyrics submitted by MaxpowerSupreme, edited by mattisyourhero, kiwilyrics, Coach
Ready to Start Lyrics as written by Regine Chassagne Jeremy Gara
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
This is about starting over and facing the world, I think. It reminds me so much of breaking up with my ex and finally moving away to do what I wanted with my life, even though it was scary to face all of that alone. It's about growing up, to let go of false security and to accept that this period of your life will be rough and dark but being mature enough to not be afraid of being alone or sad. The line "You say, can we still be friends?" and the reply "if I was scared, I would" means, to me, that he's finally letting go and realizing that he doesn't need this relationship to live and that he'd rather move on than remain in it to feel safe.