"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 can love you in the morning
I can love you all day
I can love you even more when I get home
I can love you every second
To the ends of the earth
Where needing you's the only thing that's on
My broken one track mind
Girl, I love you crazy
It comes so easy, after all we had
I could love you with all my heart
But the hardest part is
I just can't love you back
I could write a thousand letters
Call a hundred times a day
Or try to drown my sorrow at the bar
I could go down to the church
Get on my knees and pray
But it still won't change the way things really are
Won't bring you back again
Girl, I love you crazy
It comes so easy, after all we had
I could love you with all my heart
But the hardest part is
I just can't love you back
I can love you for all I'm worth
To the ends of the earth
But I just can't love you back
I can love you all day
I can love you even more when I get home
I can love you every second
To the ends of the earth
Where needing you's the only thing that's on
My broken one track mind
Girl, I love you crazy
It comes so easy, after all we had
I could love you with all my heart
But the hardest part is
I just can't love you back
I could write a thousand letters
Call a hundred times a day
Or try to drown my sorrow at the bar
I could go down to the church
Get on my knees and pray
But it still won't change the way things really are
Won't bring you back again
Girl, I love you crazy
It comes so easy, after all we had
I could love you with all my heart
But the hardest part is
I just can't love you back
I can love you for all I'm worth
To the ends of the earth
But I just can't love you back
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
At first I thought all of the above, but just take a look at the music video and I think you'll think differently. :-) After watching the video, I believe that he looses her in a car accident and literally can't love her back into existence. She'd dead, and it doesn't matter how much he loves her. he can't love her back. Ultimately, I think it works for both interpretations, but I think this is what it meant to the singer and maybe even the songwriter. I love songs that can take on multiple meanings because they touch more people that way. Way to go!
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He can love her in so many ways, but none of those ways are enough to bring her back to him.
Ahh the brevity.
He can't love her back into his life,as opposed to saying "well I just love you back,because I'm a jerk"...
At first when I heard the title, I thought it would be about a man who wanted to love a woman but just couldn't make himself fall in love the way that she wanted him to.... Like in "Two Out of Three Aint Bad."
But in actuality he loves her so much, but he literally can't love her back, because in order for that to happen, she would have to love him in the first place...
Great emotional song.
Or as it was just explained to me by someone I have loved for years, he can't love her back because he's in a committed relationship. I was to listen to the song because he said it described our situation and held some clue as to why we remain apart despite a mutual passion. My interpretation was that he could love me on his terms, but loving me back was out of the question. If he loved me back, it indicates a reciprocal action based on my love for him.
It wouldn't be fair for me to be the "other woman."
Damn straight!
Or as it was just explained to me by someone I have loved for years, he can't love her back because he's in a committed relationship. I was to listen to the song because he said it described our situation and held some clue as to why we remain apart despite a mutual passion. My interpretation was that he could love me on his terms, but loving me back was out of the question. If he loved me back, it indicates a reciprocal action based on my love for him.
It wouldn't be fair for me to be the "other woman."
Damn straight!
Or as it was just explained to me by someone I have loved for years, he can't love her back because he's in a committed relationship. I was to listen to the song because he said it described our situation and held some clue as to why we remain apart despite a mutual passion. My interpretation was that he could love me on his terms, but loving me back was out of the question. If he loved me back, it indicates a reciprocal action based on my love for him.
It wouldn't be fair for me to be the "other woman."
Damn straight!
The first thing that bump into my head when I heard this song is that: They used to love together and now she left him. That's the reason that even if he love her so much, but he can't just accept to love her back again.
First time I actually listened to the words, was in my car with my fiancee. I was so confused on the lyrics that we started talking about it. Since it was a CD, I had the lyrics right there! So I read them and we figured out that she had past away and he couldnt love her back to the earth.
If you go by the lyrics only...it sounds like a guy who loved a girl, messed up the relationship & can't seem to get her back...BUT...once you watch the video (omg I cried my eyes out) you realize she died in a car accident after leaving their home that morning and nothing he can do can bring her back...Fantastic song Easton ♥♥♥