"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.
What goes around comes back around
(Hey, my baby)
What goes around comes back around
(Hey, my baby)
I say, what goes around comes back around
(Hey, my baby)
What goes around comes back around
There was a time
I thought that you did everything right
No lies, no wrong
Boy, I must've been out of my mind
So when I think of the time that I almost loved you
You showed your ass and I, I saw the real you
Thank God you blew it
I thank God I dodged a bullet
I'm so over you
So, baby, good lookin' out
I wanted you bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
You turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
And I'm gon' always be the best thing you never had
Oh yeah, I bet it sucks to be you right now
So sad, you're hurt
Boo hoo, oh, did you expect me to care?
You don't deserve my tears
I guess that's why they ain't there
When I think that there was a time that I almost loved you
You showed your ass and, baby, yes, I saw the real you
Thank God you blew it
I thank God I dodged a bullet
I'm so over you
Baby, good lookin' out
I wanted you bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
I said, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Hmm, and I'll never be the best thing you never had
Oh baby, I bet it sucks to be you right now
I know you want me back
It's time to face the facts
That I'm the one that's got away
Lord knows that it would take another place
Another time, another world, another life
Thank God I found the good in goodbye
I used to want you so bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Oh, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
And I will always be the best thing you never had
Ooh, best thing you never had
I used to want you so bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Oh, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Whoa, I'll never be the best thing you never had
Oh baby, I bet it sucks to be you right now
(What goes around comes back around)
(What goes around comes back around)
Bet it sucks to be you right now
(What goes around comes back around)
I bet it sucks to be you right now
(What goes around comes back around)
I bet it sucks to be you right now
(Hey, my baby)
What goes around comes back around
(Hey, my baby)
I say, what goes around comes back around
(Hey, my baby)
What goes around comes back around
There was a time
I thought that you did everything right
No lies, no wrong
Boy, I must've been out of my mind
So when I think of the time that I almost loved you
You showed your ass and I, I saw the real you
Thank God you blew it
I thank God I dodged a bullet
I'm so over you
So, baby, good lookin' out
I wanted you bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
You turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
And I'm gon' always be the best thing you never had
Oh yeah, I bet it sucks to be you right now
So sad, you're hurt
Boo hoo, oh, did you expect me to care?
You don't deserve my tears
I guess that's why they ain't there
When I think that there was a time that I almost loved you
You showed your ass and, baby, yes, I saw the real you
Thank God you blew it
I thank God I dodged a bullet
I'm so over you
Baby, good lookin' out
I wanted you bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
I said, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Hmm, and I'll never be the best thing you never had
Oh baby, I bet it sucks to be you right now
I know you want me back
It's time to face the facts
That I'm the one that's got away
Lord knows that it would take another place
Another time, another world, another life
Thank God I found the good in goodbye
I used to want you so bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Oh, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
And I will always be the best thing you never had
Ooh, best thing you never had
I used to want you so bad
I'm so through with that
'Cause honestly, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Oh, you turned out to be the
Best thing I never had
Whoa, I'll never be the best thing you never had
Oh baby, I bet it sucks to be you right now
(What goes around comes back around)
(What goes around comes back around)
Bet it sucks to be you right now
(What goes around comes back around)
I bet it sucks to be you right now
(What goes around comes back around)
I bet it sucks to be you right now
Lyrics submitted by darkanj3l
Best Thing I Never Had Lyrics as written by Antonio Dixon Shea Taylor
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Missing Link Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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.
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.
I just heard this song recently and I love it. It's so simple but so true. To me, it's about that guy that you thought you were in love with but through his actions you knew you could never love someone with his character. You were really upset at first and you wanted him to prove to be the guy you thought you were falling in love with but he never does. You then meet another guy who is so amazing and shows you what it is to really love someone. He just makes you smile and you can't stop. You realize that if the first guy had never messed up you would probably still be with him and would have missed out. In that sense you got lucky because "you dodged the bullet". You are actually glad that the original guy turned out the way he did. You were a beautiful and wonderful girl that would have done anything for him but he never got all of you because he messed up pretty big over and over "you turned out to be the best thing I never had. And I will always be the best thing you never had." He will always have to live with the fact that he lost you and in that essence it " bet it sucks to be you right now."
I agree with your interpretation but with the roles reverse. my ex broke up with me via text and i was depressed. Just listened to this on spotify made me realize that there is some better girl out there for me and my ex missed out something awesome. Got to believe that there is someone at there for me.
Luv it 😘😍
My life's theme song.
I agree musicconnoisseur. Isn't it funny how blind we are when we feel we are in love with someone. But for those of us who are lucky, we wake up, the rosy colored glasses come off, and we dodge a bullet. Then someone comes along who makes the other look like the complete douche he is. Bravo Beyonce!
I can\'t believe she really says "you showed your ass"... I thought Beyonce was supposed to be dignified...
@ekaterinaq 🤣🤣🤣she ain't dignified 🤣🤣🤪
@ekaterinaq <br /> Me too
I love this song and I can not sit alone without boy and it's true
@Awejunior Hhaaaaaaaaaa😱😱😱😱
My mom is the best thing I never had . She means the world to me and I totally appreciate that
@Buhlebevangeli 😘 <br /> So cute😜❤️❣️
I love this song from the first time I heard it.😜❤️❣️♥️
I love this song🔥🔥🔥🔥☺
Does this song sound musically like "I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys to anyone else? or is it just me
umm i dont really think so<br /> "i want it that way" is more like expressing wistfully how he wants the girl back,with whom things might have gone wrong<br /> but "best i never had" is a woman telling her ex she s happy with her life now and thank her ex who didnt treat her right . she had loved him once but the man was a jerk,kinda like stringing her along for sometime and then broke up.now the woman has found her real love who is the right one for her and deserves her,who is a wonderful woman