"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.
They got one eye watching you
One eye on what you do
So be careful who it is you're talking to
They got one eye watching you
One eye on what you do
So be careful what it is you're trying to do
And be careful when you're walking in the view
Just be careful when you're walking in the view
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on
They got one eye watching you
And one eye on what you do
So be careful 'cause nothing they say is true
D-don't believe a word, it's us against the world
And we just got to turn up to be heard
Hear the crocodiles ticking 'round the world
Hear those crocodiles ticking, they go ticking 'round the world
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and
You could hear them climbing the stairs
I got my right side fighting while
My left hides under the chairs
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
One eye on what you do
So be careful who it is you're talking to
They got one eye watching you
One eye on what you do
So be careful what it is you're trying to do
And be careful when you're walking in the view
Just be careful when you're walking in the view
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on
They got one eye watching you
And one eye on what you do
So be careful 'cause nothing they say is true
D-don't believe a word, it's us against the world
And we just got to turn up to be heard
Hear the crocodiles ticking 'round the world
Hear those crocodiles ticking, they go ticking 'round the world
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and
You could hear them climbing the stairs
I got my right side fighting while
My left hides under the chairs
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Got one eye on the road and one on you
Lyrics submitted by EscObAR123
Major Minus Lyrics as written by Christopher Anthony John Martin Brian Peter George Eno
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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I love how this songs sounds. Martin's voice seems to kind of drown in the music, as if he's standing right in the middle of it and singing out. The sounds swell around his voice and sort of echo. Love it.
I’m probably wrong about this, but this is what came to my mind while listening to this. As for the lyrics, now that I read through them, it seems the person in this song is being watched by some powerful source - "they/them". It could be some governmental power/higher power/etc. ("They got one eye watching you/One eye on what you do") The person, however, acknowledges this and wants to fight back against whatever is watching him. ("So be careful what it is you're trying to do/And be careful when you're walking into view")We can assume that whatever it is watching him isn't pleasant. ("So be careful cause nothing they say is true.")He's very against whatever "they" are and tries to convince others to rise up against whatever "they" is.(“No, no don't believe a word/It's just us against the world/And we just got to turn up to be heard.") In the end, "they" come for him ("You could hear them climbing the stairs") and while he wants to fight back, he's still afraid of what "they" will do/are capable of. ("I Got my right side fighting/While my left hides under the chairs.")
The lyric with the crocodiles (“Hear the crocodiles ticking round the world/Hear those crocodiles ticking, they go ticking round the world.”) reminds me of Peter Pan, for some reason. Captain Hook is deathly afraid of the crocodile that swallowed the alarm clock. The way I see it, the crocodiles could either be the things that comes for the man at the end of the song that he ends up fighting. Or they could be the small voices of rebellion that arise in the world due to the man’s efforts. (“they go ticking round the world”)
Overall, this songs reminds me of those dystopian novels- like 1984. A big, all powerful government watching its citizens and everything they do. It’s a creepy thought, but it doesn’t make me love this song any less.