"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.
(Choose your own adventureeeeeee!)
[Verse 1: Classified (White Mic)]
Yeah, yeah [beat starts]
Ou got the water? (check), weed? (check, ready to roll)
Look ma, no hands, I'm a never get old
(I pedal like the gas pedals got stuck to the floor)
In other words (nope), we ain't goin slow (so)
Quickly down the road we go, poppin wheelies and indos
And I notice my bro and he's puffin some indo (yo!)
(Stopped quick, tires started to skid, wanted a hit
But there was nothin left of the spliff)
[beat stops]
[Break" Mic Boyd - talking (Classified)]
Sorry boys, just missed it! (ahh)
(What are you doin? What are you up to?)
Aw, not much
(Goin for a bike ride, wanna come?)
[beat starts back up]
[Verse 2: Classified (White Mic) {Classified}]
Hell yeah, another motherfucker up in here
Rollin down the road with the wind in my hair
Bunny hop, both tires up into the air
I'm bad ass, biker boy, yo you better beware
(Okay Mic, you take this bike shit way too serious)
'Cause I'm the best biker in Enfield period
Fuck with me! (what?) I drove the deepest ditches (huh?)
Scaled the steepest slopes and road the meanest roads
Left skid marks all over the east coast
(OH, WATCH OUT!), shit that was close, woo hoo
{Mic you're a fuckin joke
But guys it's almost five, I'm hungry, I think I'm out}
[beat fades away]
Alright later man, peace out
Later
[new beat starts]
[Verse 3: Classified (Classified's Wife)]
I get back to my place and put my bicycle away
Feelin burnt out and tired but I try not to complain
My girl pulls up, how was work? (oh, just great)
You hungry? (umm, a little bit), we start to conversate
Both of us are kind of tired and neither wanna cook
So let's go out for dinner, maybe catch a motion picture
We go down to the local spot, check out what the menu got
Donair with extra sauce but keep the tomatoes off
She gets a calimari or chicken tetrazzini
She likes to keep it healthy, but me I keep it greasy
Believe me, if I could see me from the inside
Then I would probably never feed on somethin deep fried
We finished up, paid the bill, then took off to the city
I had a gram or two, she twisted it and sparked a dube
That's just the way that me and my lady partner do
Besides we was goin to see "Harold And Kumar Part 2"
We finished that, got in line and got our tickets
Showed up kind of late, missed the first ten minutes
Bumped into a couple co-workers of the Misses
My girl got the munchies like (your liquorice looks delicious)
My eyes bloodshot but I feel it ain't a factor
I felt like they expected it, they know that I'm a rapper
We watched the movie, had a couple laughs
And on the way out, signed a couple autographs
Back in the car and that's it, headed home
Then I noticed Martin Finch on the road, talkin on his phone
Standin outside of this club that we know
You wanna go? (Yeah, it'd be nice but I gotta work early tomorrow)
That's true and we probably won't get home until four or so
(Yeah but you can go, I'll drop you at the front door
Just let me know what you wanna do, wanna do)...
[beat stops]
[Outro: Narrator - talking]
If you want to call it a night and head back home, proceed to Track 22
If you want to get dropped off at the club and see what's new with
Martin Finch, proceed to Track 17
[Verse 1: Classified (White Mic)]
Yeah, yeah [beat starts]
Ou got the water? (check), weed? (check, ready to roll)
Look ma, no hands, I'm a never get old
(I pedal like the gas pedals got stuck to the floor)
In other words (nope), we ain't goin slow (so)
Quickly down the road we go, poppin wheelies and indos
And I notice my bro and he's puffin some indo (yo!)
(Stopped quick, tires started to skid, wanted a hit
But there was nothin left of the spliff)
[beat stops]
[Break" Mic Boyd - talking (Classified)]
Sorry boys, just missed it! (ahh)
(What are you doin? What are you up to?)
Aw, not much
(Goin for a bike ride, wanna come?)
[beat starts back up]
[Verse 2: Classified (White Mic) {Classified}]
Hell yeah, another motherfucker up in here
Rollin down the road with the wind in my hair
Bunny hop, both tires up into the air
I'm bad ass, biker boy, yo you better beware
(Okay Mic, you take this bike shit way too serious)
'Cause I'm the best biker in Enfield period
Fuck with me! (what?) I drove the deepest ditches (huh?)
Scaled the steepest slopes and road the meanest roads
Left skid marks all over the east coast
(OH, WATCH OUT!), shit that was close, woo hoo
{Mic you're a fuckin joke
But guys it's almost five, I'm hungry, I think I'm out}
[beat fades away]
Alright later man, peace out
Later
[new beat starts]
[Verse 3: Classified (Classified's Wife)]
I get back to my place and put my bicycle away
Feelin burnt out and tired but I try not to complain
My girl pulls up, how was work? (oh, just great)
You hungry? (umm, a little bit), we start to conversate
Both of us are kind of tired and neither wanna cook
So let's go out for dinner, maybe catch a motion picture
We go down to the local spot, check out what the menu got
Donair with extra sauce but keep the tomatoes off
She gets a calimari or chicken tetrazzini
She likes to keep it healthy, but me I keep it greasy
Believe me, if I could see me from the inside
Then I would probably never feed on somethin deep fried
We finished up, paid the bill, then took off to the city
I had a gram or two, she twisted it and sparked a dube
That's just the way that me and my lady partner do
Besides we was goin to see "Harold And Kumar Part 2"
We finished that, got in line and got our tickets
Showed up kind of late, missed the first ten minutes
Bumped into a couple co-workers of the Misses
My girl got the munchies like (your liquorice looks delicious)
My eyes bloodshot but I feel it ain't a factor
I felt like they expected it, they know that I'm a rapper
We watched the movie, had a couple laughs
And on the way out, signed a couple autographs
Back in the car and that's it, headed home
Then I noticed Martin Finch on the road, talkin on his phone
Standin outside of this club that we know
You wanna go? (Yeah, it'd be nice but I gotta work early tomorrow)
That's true and we probably won't get home until four or so
(Yeah but you can go, I'll drop you at the front door
Just let me know what you wanna do, wanna do)...
[beat stops]
[Outro: Narrator - talking]
If you want to call it a night and head back home, proceed to Track 22
If you want to get dropped off at the club and see what's new with
Martin Finch, proceed to Track 17
Lyrics submitted by hornbogen34
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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,
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.