"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.
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running away
There's a place where nothing seems to be assembled quite cohesively
It's all your mind, all your mind
Something little shouldn't feel this way, we got a million thoughts we can't convey
It's all your life, all your life
It's four in the morning
You got one more chance to die
Like beautiful stories
The greatest chapters flew right by
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running away
These things don't happen here, another fictional reality
It's all you'll find, all you'll find
It's just as good as any other day, I'm gonna teach you about mortality
No it's not right, it's not right
It's four in the morning
You got one more chance to die
Like beautiful stories
The greatest chapters flew right by
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running away
In many ways I guess I'll never let you go
I'm close behind but I've got room here left to grow
Until our second chance
Just enjoy the dance and find out who we are (these dreams will never leave you)
Let's find out what we are (these dream will never leave you)
(Never leave you, don't ask me why)
It's four in the morning
You got one more chance to die
Like beautiful stories
The greatest chapters flew right by
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running
I know why you're running away
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running away
There's a place where nothing seems to be assembled quite cohesively
It's all your mind, all your mind
Something little shouldn't feel this way, we got a million thoughts we can't convey
It's all your life, all your life
It's four in the morning
You got one more chance to die
Like beautiful stories
The greatest chapters flew right by
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running away
These things don't happen here, another fictional reality
It's all you'll find, all you'll find
It's just as good as any other day, I'm gonna teach you about mortality
No it's not right, it's not right
It's four in the morning
You got one more chance to die
Like beautiful stories
The greatest chapters flew right by
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running away
In many ways I guess I'll never let you go
I'm close behind but I've got room here left to grow
Until our second chance
Just enjoy the dance and find out who we are (these dreams will never leave you)
Let's find out what we are (these dream will never leave you)
(Never leave you, don't ask me why)
It's four in the morning
You got one more chance to die
Like beautiful stories
The greatest chapters flew right by
There comes a day when we all find out for ourselves
That once we have the words to say there's no one left to tell
I know why you're running
I know why you're running away
Lyrics submitted by BulletFreak, edited by Rusman
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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/
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.
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.
My guess, both from studying the lyrics and relating it to my own life, is that it's about the dangers of mental illnesses and how much they can control people's lives if sufferers aren't careful to monitoring the symptoms.
The first verse talks about overthinking the tiniest things and how it's probably nothing wrong at all yet an anxious person's mind will be racing a million miles an hour trying to understand what's going on.
The chorus focuses more as a make-or-break statement. It's basically a metaphor saying "if you don't break free of the shackles of anxiety/mental disorders, you'll simply permit them to control your life in the long run and miss out on so much in life".
Second verse focuses more on someone's realization that anxiety is taking over their life. Not really much more I can get from this verse to be honest.
The bridge talks about someone coming to the realization that their mental illness will cloud them forever, but they still have a life they can take control of and live to the best of their ability.
Not sure if this has any significance to the meaning of the song, but almost five years ago to the day, Zacky posted on the Avenged Sevenfold Twitter page: "Tracking is complete. There are no words that will ever describe the feeling of listening to this album while driving home alone at 4 am."