"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.
I hear the countdown
Am I the only one?
Is it in my head,
Four, Three, Two, ONE!
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Every morning
Los Angeles
Sun is shining on dreams of the hopeless
California, burn it to the ground
Lets see the ashes all fall down!
Someone give me somethin I can scream out loud!
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Party til the end of the world!
The end of the world
I'm holding your hand, we're in the front row
Stars are falling, and I'm never gonna let go
Sound the warning, if they only knew
I'll be okay as long as I've got you
Someone give me something I can scream out loud!
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Party til the end of the world!
The end of the world
Tick tock times up, god already hung up
Tell the lies, say goodbye, Tell me when it all falls down!
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Party til the end of the world!
The end of the world
Party til the end of the world
The end! The end! The end! The end!
Party til the end of the world
Am I the only one?
Is it in my head,
Four, Three, Two, ONE!
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
Every morning
Los Angeles
Sun is shining on dreams of the hopeless
California, burn it to the ground
Lets see the ashes all fall down!
Someone give me somethin I can scream out loud!
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Party til the end of the world!
The end of the world
I'm holding your hand, we're in the front row
Stars are falling, and I'm never gonna let go
Sound the warning, if they only knew
I'll be okay as long as I've got you
Someone give me something I can scream out loud!
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Party til the end of the world!
The end of the world
Tick tock times up, god already hung up
Tell the lies, say goodbye, Tell me when it all falls down!
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Lets go crazy, waiting on the big show
Lets go crazy, everybody let go!
What if there is no tomorrow?
For you and me baby, here we go girl
Party til the end of the world!
The end of the world
Party til the end of the world
The end! The end! The end! The end!
Party til the end of the world
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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"
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.