"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.
"We're going to skate to one song and one song only"
Ball so hard muh'fuckas wanna fine me
So I ball so hard muh'fuckas wanna fine me
But first niggas gotta find me
What's fifty grand to a muh'fucka like me
Can you please remind me?
Ball so hard, this shit crazy
Y'all don't know that don't shit phase me
The Nets could go oh for eighty-two and I look at you like this shit gravy
Ball so hard, this shit weird
We ain't even 'pose to be here
Ball so hard, since we here
It's only right that we be fair
Psycho, I'm liable to be go Michael
Take your pick, Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6
Ball so hard, got a broke clock, Rollies that don't tick tock
Audemars that's losing time, hidden behind all these big rocks
Ball so hard, I'm shocked too, I'm supposed to be locked up too
You escaped what I've escaped
You'd be in Paris getting fucked up too
Ball so hard, let's get faded, Le Meurice for like six days
Gold bottles, scold models, spillin' Ace on my sick J's
(Ball so hard) bitch behave, just might let you meet 'Ye
Chi town's D. Rose, I'm movin' the Nets to BK
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
That shit cray
That shit cray
That shit cray
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
That shit cray
That shit cray
That shit cray
She said 'Ye can we get married at the mall?
I said look you need to crawl 'fore you ball
Come and meet me in the bathroom stall
And show me why you deserve to have it all
(Ball so hard) that shit cray, (that shit cray) ain't it Jay?
(Ball so hard) what she order? (What she order?) Fish fillet
(Ball so hard) your whip so cold (whip so cold) this old thing
(Ball so hard) act like you'll ever be around motherfuckas like this again
Bougie girl, grab her hand
Fuck that bitch she don't wanna dance
Excuse my French but I'm in France (I'm just sayin')
Prince William's ain't do it right if you ask me
'Cause I was him, I would have married Kate and Ashley
What's Gucci my nigga?
What's Louie my killa?
What's drugs my deala?
What's that jacket, Margiela?
Doctors say I'm the illest
'Cause I'm suffering from realness
Got my niggas in Paris
And they going gorillas, huh!?
(I don't even know what that means)
(No one knows what it means, but it's provocative)
(No it's not)
(It gets the people going!)
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
You are now watching the throne
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
These other niggas is lyin'
Actin' like the summer ain't mine
I got that hot bitch in my home
You know how many hot bitches I own?
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
The stars is in the building
They hands is to the ceiling
I know I'm 'bout to kill it
How you know? I got that feeling
You are now watching the throne
Don't let me into my zone
Don't let me into my zone
I'm definitely in my zone
(Zone, zone, zone, zone, zone, zone, zone, zone)
Ball so hard muh'fuckas wanna fine me
So I ball so hard muh'fuckas wanna fine me
But first niggas gotta find me
What's fifty grand to a muh'fucka like me
Can you please remind me?
Ball so hard, this shit crazy
Y'all don't know that don't shit phase me
The Nets could go oh for eighty-two and I look at you like this shit gravy
Ball so hard, this shit weird
We ain't even 'pose to be here
Ball so hard, since we here
It's only right that we be fair
Psycho, I'm liable to be go Michael
Take your pick, Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6
Ball so hard, got a broke clock, Rollies that don't tick tock
Audemars that's losing time, hidden behind all these big rocks
Ball so hard, I'm shocked too, I'm supposed to be locked up too
You escaped what I've escaped
You'd be in Paris getting fucked up too
Ball so hard, let's get faded, Le Meurice for like six days
Gold bottles, scold models, spillin' Ace on my sick J's
(Ball so hard) bitch behave, just might let you meet 'Ye
Chi town's D. Rose, I'm movin' the Nets to BK
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
That shit cray
That shit cray
That shit cray
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
That shit cray
That shit cray
That shit cray
She said 'Ye can we get married at the mall?
I said look you need to crawl 'fore you ball
Come and meet me in the bathroom stall
And show me why you deserve to have it all
(Ball so hard) that shit cray, (that shit cray) ain't it Jay?
(Ball so hard) what she order? (What she order?) Fish fillet
(Ball so hard) your whip so cold (whip so cold) this old thing
(Ball so hard) act like you'll ever be around motherfuckas like this again
Bougie girl, grab her hand
Fuck that bitch she don't wanna dance
Excuse my French but I'm in France (I'm just sayin')
Prince William's ain't do it right if you ask me
'Cause I was him, I would have married Kate and Ashley
What's Gucci my nigga?
What's Louie my killa?
What's drugs my deala?
What's that jacket, Margiela?
Doctors say I'm the illest
'Cause I'm suffering from realness
Got my niggas in Paris
And they going gorillas, huh!?
(I don't even know what that means)
(No one knows what it means, but it's provocative)
(No it's not)
(It gets the people going!)
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
Ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me
You are now watching the throne
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
These other niggas is lyin'
Actin' like the summer ain't mine
I got that hot bitch in my home
You know how many hot bitches I own?
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
Don't let me get in my zone
The stars is in the building
They hands is to the ceiling
I know I'm 'bout to kill it
How you know? I got that feeling
You are now watching the throne
Don't let me into my zone
Don't let me into my zone
I'm definitely in my zone
(Zone, zone, zone, zone, zone, zone, zone, zone)
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
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.
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.
Initially, the song appears to be just another rap song about having fun ("I ball so hard muhfuckas wanna fine me") accompanied by awesome beats. However, besides being a great song, I think its background is quite interesting. I think it refers to how black people used to be slaves, especially in Europe, and now they are part of the high society and elite segment ("What's Gucci my nigga? What's Louie my killa? What's drugs my deala? What's that jacket, Margiela?"). This is like an "in your face" statement. In addition, this song does a lot of bragging obviously. "What's 50 grand to a muhfucka like me, can you please remind me?" means that 50 grand mean nothing to Jay-Z because he's so damn rich. They also brag about how much crime or bad things they have gotten away with as stated in the following lines: "We ain't even spose to be here" and "I'm shocked too. I'm supposed to be locked up too. If you escaped what I've escaped, you'd be in Paris getting fucked up too". Moreover, Jay-Z is so huge and popular now that it's okay for him to go "psycho" or "crazy" just like other famous celebrities as stated here: "Psycho, I'm liable to be go Michael. Take your pick, Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6" -who are all black people also :)
I like your interpretation, only one thing, I believe that Europe, especially Paris embraced black performers...like Josephine Baker. They were allowed to walk thru the front door, not like back in the US. That's only my thoughts and not meant to be negative. :)