"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.
When she was just a girl, she expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of
Para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
When she was just a girl, she expected the world
But it flew away from her reach and the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly, every tear a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night, she'd close her eyes
In the night, the stormy night, away she'd fly
And dream of para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)
She'd dream of para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
And so lying underneath those stormy skies
She'd say, "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I know the sun must set to rise"
This could be para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)
This could be para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
This could be para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of
Para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
When she was just a girl, she expected the world
But it flew away from her reach and the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly, every tear a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night, she'd close her eyes
In the night, the stormy night, away she'd fly
And dream of para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)
She'd dream of para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
And so lying underneath those stormy skies
She'd say, "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I know the sun must set to rise"
This could be para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh)
This could be para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
This could be para-para-paradise
Para-para-paradise
This could be para-para-paradise
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
Lyrics submitted by vivigm6, edited by achilles890
Paradise Lyrics as written by Guy Rupert Berryman Christopher Anthony John Martin
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
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.
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”
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.
This song represents the attempts by a girl to maintain a child-like innocence in her life by dreaming. The first verse tells of a young girl who had high expectations (When she was a girl/She expected the world); these expectations could be the product of constant attention to fairy tales - expecting the world to be fair and just, where all girls can be princesses, marry their Prince Charming and live happily ever after - or simply being subject to an optimistic upbringing where the philosophy 'the world is your oyster' underpinned every lecture by parent and teacher alike. However, evidently the bar was raised too high and the expectations not reached (But it flew away from her reach) suggesting maybe a life not lived - plans not made, dreams not followed, opportunities missed, feelings not acted upon. At this the girl withdraws into her mind, acting out the life she would have led if Fate allowed her in her dreams (So she ran away in her sleep/And dreamed of para-para-paradise.../Every time she closed her eyes). The line 'The bullets catch in her teeth' indicates that in her dreamed-up paradise nothing can hurt her, nothing can go wrong. The second verse details how, as the girl grows up and matures, she faces difficulties and complications (Life goes on, gets so heavy) and some hardships she faces are enough to break her spirit (The wheel breaks the butterfly). In this line, it's assumed that the butterfly is symbolic of the girl - a beautiful and innocent creature - and the 'wheel' can be regarded as the 'Wheel of Fortune'. This was an Elizabethan Era worldview where each individual would pass around a circle from good fortune to bad fortune to good fortune and around again and so on - much like 'what goes around, comes around'. Therefore it's said that the 'wheel of fortune' has turned and the girl has met with misfortune and has had extreme physical or emotional difficulty in moving past it (Every tear a waterfall). But she perseveres and finds comfort and distraction in her dreams (In the night, the stormy night/She closed her eyes.../Away she'd fly/And dream of para-para-paradise). In the final verse, the girl is depicted 'lying under stormy skies' which could be a metaphor for her life's struggles or if taken literally, could act as a piece of pathetic fallacy. Her response to the storm - 'I know the sun is set to rise.' - reinforces her sense of optimism in life, allowing herself to believe that though her battle is great at the moment, the wheel will turn full circle, the sun will rise and she'll reach a level of peace in her life - her paradise. The last lines of the song - 'This could be para-para-paradise' - could reflect a changed mindset in the girl; for a while she had been languishing over her misfortune and finding solace in her dreams at night however, the words 'This could be' suggest uncertainty - that she's toying with the notion that changing a part of her life, altering some aspect of her existence will produce a positive outcome and maybe turn her unfortunate life into her paradise.
wow that was beautifully written..
DITTO! WOW! VERY WELL PUT!
I see everything you say, but in the last lines I was thinking that maybe she met someone new that could be a new paradise for her
The first time I heard this song was about 3 weeks after my beautiful daughter died of a drug overdose. Coldplay was on the "Today Show", and I was just going back to work that week, and had the T.V. on in the background. Still overcome with shock and grief, for some reason, when I heard this song, I thought "Oh my God... this is about her..". I started crying uncontrollably, because the words sounded so much as if it was written for my girl. I could not listen to music for the past year and a half because something always reminds me of her. But it's so weird that wherever I go, some store, restaurant, whatever... this song comes on almost ALWAYS. I think it's my daughter's way of telling me "Yes, Mommy, I am in PARADISE". At least that is how I interpret this. God Bless you, Chris Martin, for writing this song for my baby..
That's so touching. It must have been incredibly rough for you; Carry on,she's now in paradise ♥
Yes, it was, and is incredibly hard to go through life as a bereaved parent. I am trying in every way possible to help myself, and my surviving daughter, get through this. You are never the same after losing a child. This song invariably comes on whenever I least expect it, and that gives me some kind of comfort that she is indeed in Paradise. Thank you for your kind words!
I made an account just to reply to this comment. I hope you still check this site. That touched my heart and gave me a stronger belief in the Lord. I am so thankful that your daughter is able to reach you through a song that is so powerful in meaning and that you are capable of knowing it is her telling you that she is safe and happy now. She has found her paradise. I wish you the best.<br /> Carly
@nicmela this is somtouching I am crying right now as I am writing this
First of all, love this song. so much. as a piece of music, it's simply gorgeous and very creative.
As for the lyrics. There are few. It's a simple message. At first lesson, I went for the idea that it's about a girl who isn't young anymore, but old either. Probably early 20s, and life is more difficult than she thought it would be (when she was just a girl, she expected the world, but it flew away from her reach).
The line "she ran away in her sleep" is what tears me. At first I assumed it just her going to sleep and dreaming. But... maybe she killed herself? Maybe Paradise is heaven? Coldplay has been known to make religious references in songs. And in the chorus of "para-para-paradise", the background singers seem very angelic.
BUT... then as the song goes on (life goes on, gets so heavy, the wheel breaks the butterfly) that makes me think that she is still going on with life, but dreaming of a better world (Paradise).
And the last main lyric "I know the sun's set to rise" makes me think she has hope in her future.
Ummm, she did kill herself I'm pretty sure... Because later on in the song it says "nd the bullets catch in her teeth".
You can interpret the suicide notion in two ways. Either a) "I know the sun is set to rise," as she exists her life on earth and enters into heaven, her 'paradise,(so she ran away in her sleep) or b) Her life on earth is changed for the better, thus her suicidal thoughts slowly dimnish as she regains strength in herself. Personally, I think she reaches her 'paradise,' but its not the paradise she imagined on earth, its the paradise that heaven provides.
It says to me that when we grow up, innocence becomes lost, we fight our battles in life but we gotta never give up that hope.
I truly believe that this song is about Elephants and wildlife in general, when they are taken away from the wild and also poaching (bullets) to be put up in unfamiliar climates. These animals are always dreaming of gowing back in the wild which is their paradise.
The song reflects how life gets harder when we grow up making it difficult to meet the challenges which we though could easily be met before. Despite the tough times however, 'underneath the stormy skies', 'the sun's set to rise', which means there is a dawn after every dusk. We all live on hope and faith in the end.
Regarding this song's meaning, Chris Martin has stated that it is easier to explain in the context of the album. Martin told MTV News Mylo Xyloto is a story, explaining: "It's supposed to be about two people who grow up separately in a very big oppressive city, and they each are a bit lost in their lives." He added that the pair meet in a gang and fall in and out of love before getting back together at the end. The singer went on to say: "Paradise is about a girl really, the female half of the album, just about being a bit lost in the world and escaping through fantasy."
this song gives me chills every time i hear it. absolutely beautiful song.
This song is beautiful. It has a new sound that Coldplay has never done before.
I think this song is about how when we are little we think the world is a fairytale. When little girls are asked what they want to be when they grow up, they say a princess or ballerina. When she grows up, these thoughts fade away. She matures and realizes that life is not a fairytale. In the back of her mind she wishes she was a little girl still. "It ran away from her reach" meaning that she moved on and she is growing up. "Life goes on, gets so heavy, the wheel breaks the butterfly." The butterfly, I think is the little girl mind. When she grows up, her mind becomes less creative and more realistic. She might still have dreams about being a little girl. Dreams are where she can be whatever she wants. (her paradise)
That's my interpretation
This song was written about a girl who finds the world isnt how she expected to be. The world is cruel to her. But she can always escape to "paradise" by closing her eyes and letting her imagination go... I think this song was written about me.
My favourite part is: So lying underneath the stormy skies. She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. I know the sun's set to rise.
She's going through a tough/dark time but she's still optimistic about the future.
Such a beautiful song, I hope they play it when they come to Cape Town (I'm so psyched for this concert!!!!).