"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.
Single book of matches, gonna burn what's standing in the way
Roaring down the mountain, now they're calling on the fire brigade
Bury all the pictures, and tell the kids that I'm okay
If and I'm forgotten, you'll remember me for today
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I
All the black inside me, is slowly seeping from the bone
Everything I cherish, is slowly dying or it's gone
Little shaken babies and drunkards seem to all agree
Once the show gets started it's bound to be a sight to see
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I, I don't wanna be here holding on
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I, I don't wanna be here holding on (watch her roll)
I (can you feel it?)
I won't ever be your cornerstone (watch her roll)
I
Roaring down the mountain, now they're calling on the fire brigade
Bury all the pictures, and tell the kids that I'm okay
If and I'm forgotten, you'll remember me for today
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I
All the black inside me, is slowly seeping from the bone
Everything I cherish, is slowly dying or it's gone
Little shaken babies and drunkards seem to all agree
Once the show gets started it's bound to be a sight to see
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I, I don't wanna be here holding on
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
Watch her roll, can you feel it?
I, I won't ever be your cornerstone
I, I don't wanna be here holding on (watch her roll)
I (can you feel it?)
I won't ever be your cornerstone (watch her roll)
I
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Thank you for all the interpretations. I read about Ruby Ridge, it broke my heart. I've been in love with this song ever since the album came out and I've not regretted getting it. Kings of Leon is always the best. So deep and emotional.