"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.
With his back against the San Francisco traffic
On the bridges side that faces towards the jail
Setting out to join a demographic
He hoists his first leg up over the rail
And a phone call is made
Police cars show up quickly
The sergeant slams his passenger door
He says, 'Hey son why don't you talk through this with me
Just tell me what you're doing it for
'Oh, it's a little bit of everything
It's the mountains
It's the fog
It's the news at six o'clock
It's the death of my first dog
It's the angels up above me
It's the song that they don't sing
It's a little bit of everything
An older man stands in a buffet line
He is smiling and holding out his plate
And the further he looks back into his timeline
That hard road always had led him to today
And making up for when his bright future had left him
Making up for the fact that his only son is gone
And letting everything out once, His server asks him
Have you figured out yet, what it is you want?
I want a little bit of everything
The biscuits and the beans
Whatever helps me to forget about
The things that brought me to my knees
So pile on those mashed potatoes
And an extra chicken wing
I'm having a little bit of everything
Somewhere a pretty girl is writing invitations
To a wedding she has scheduled for the fall
Her man says, 'Baby, can I make an observation?
You don't seem to be having any fun at all
She said, 'You just worry about your groomsmen and your shirt-size
And rest assured that this is making me feel good
I think that love is so much easier than you realize
If you can give yourself to someone
Then you should
'Cause it's a little bit of everything
The way you joke, the way you ache
It is getting up before you
So I can watch you as you wake
So in the day in late September
It's not some stupid little ring
I'm giving a little bit of everything
Oh, it's a little bit of everything
It's the matador and the bull
It's the suggested daily dosage
It is the red moon when it's full
All these psychics and these doctors
They're all right and they're all wrong
It's like trying to make out every word
When they should simply hum along
It's not some message written in the dark
Or some truth that no one's seen
It's a little bit of everything
On the bridges side that faces towards the jail
Setting out to join a demographic
He hoists his first leg up over the rail
And a phone call is made
Police cars show up quickly
The sergeant slams his passenger door
He says, 'Hey son why don't you talk through this with me
Just tell me what you're doing it for
'Oh, it's a little bit of everything
It's the mountains
It's the fog
It's the news at six o'clock
It's the death of my first dog
It's the angels up above me
It's the song that they don't sing
It's a little bit of everything
An older man stands in a buffet line
He is smiling and holding out his plate
And the further he looks back into his timeline
That hard road always had led him to today
And making up for when his bright future had left him
Making up for the fact that his only son is gone
And letting everything out once, His server asks him
Have you figured out yet, what it is you want?
I want a little bit of everything
The biscuits and the beans
Whatever helps me to forget about
The things that brought me to my knees
So pile on those mashed potatoes
And an extra chicken wing
I'm having a little bit of everything
Somewhere a pretty girl is writing invitations
To a wedding she has scheduled for the fall
Her man says, 'Baby, can I make an observation?
You don't seem to be having any fun at all
She said, 'You just worry about your groomsmen and your shirt-size
And rest assured that this is making me feel good
I think that love is so much easier than you realize
If you can give yourself to someone
Then you should
'Cause it's a little bit of everything
The way you joke, the way you ache
It is getting up before you
So I can watch you as you wake
So in the day in late September
It's not some stupid little ring
I'm giving a little bit of everything
Oh, it's a little bit of everything
It's the matador and the bull
It's the suggested daily dosage
It is the red moon when it's full
All these psychics and these doctors
They're all right and they're all wrong
It's like trying to make out every word
When they should simply hum along
It's not some message written in the dark
Or some truth that no one's seen
It's a little bit of everything
Lyrics submitted by ScottyBoom, edited by llscience, jleff007
A Little Bit of Everything Lyrics as written by Taylor Goldsmith
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
I don't mean to say that these lyrics are self-explanatory, because it's so pretentious when people say that, because most often, songs aren't self-explanatory in the least, but this song is very straight-forward in saying what it means. It's very anecdotal, and it says what it means without saying what it means. In that way, it's not straight-forward, because it's a simple list of things that when put together, are strong. The man is killing himself because of "the mountains," "the fog," "the death of my first dog." And that's the whole point of the song, and it's title, and that's that it really is a little bit of everything.