"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.
All this wasted space
This whole room it takes
Hard to stay awake
This is my escape
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
It's getting critical, getting critical
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go
Your my chemical, your my chemical
Killer, killer, killer, killer
Stabs me in the back
Takes me all I have
Wrestle to the floor
See you soon for more
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
It's getting critical, getting critical oh oh
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go oh oh
Your my chemical, your my chemical oh oh
Killer, killer, killer, killer
It's getting critical, getting critical oh oh
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go oh oh
Your my chemical, your my chemical oh oh
Killer, killer, killer, killer
It's getting critical, getting critical oh oh
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go oh oh
Your my chemical, your my chemical oh oh
Killer, killer, killer, killer
This whole room it takes
Hard to stay awake
This is my escape
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
It's getting critical, getting critical
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go
Your my chemical, your my chemical
Killer, killer, killer, killer
Stabs me in the back
Takes me all I have
Wrestle to the floor
See you soon for more
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
If we feel it back up
Amphetamine rush
Set me on fire tonight, tonight
It's getting critical, getting critical oh oh
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go oh oh
Your my chemical, your my chemical oh oh
Killer, killer, killer, killer
It's getting critical, getting critical oh oh
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go oh oh
Your my chemical, your my chemical oh oh
Killer, killer, killer, killer
It's getting critical, getting critical oh oh
I gotta let it go, gotta let it go oh oh
Your my chemical, your my chemical oh oh
Killer, killer, killer, killer
Lyrics submitted by hundredskies
Chemicals Lyrics as written by David Schmitt Kyle Even
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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,
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 think this song is saying how this guy and this girl have an unhealthy relationship. The guy doesn't want to have it, but he likes the sex. He can't run away or escape the relationship.