"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.
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
It's time to hit ya let the melody split ya
Poems is deadly Holmes better get the picture
See these vibes are visible
Fiends see it in the mental chicks dig it in the physical
We had to lounge now I'm furious
Fake hip hoppers can they do it in '95? I'm curious
Because my squad has sickness, crazy sickness
Hit the herb, let the words start flowing with the riches
Don't compare me when you hear me
I stay true, and when I'm through, it'll pay dearly
Dre's a giant, no question, but what I question
Is how now this is your profession
I'm charged off the lye
How we do? Bless them, impress them, and hang them high
Taking loot like bakers and produce pages
And styles go for Miles, like Davis
My potential, with Show's instrumental
Got you all zoning on the vibes that we sent you
In the mental, who's that abusing rap?
Pop from the heart, so it's back to the start, black
And these tracks are incredible
S-H-O to the W, true to our revenue
That's how we feel in the BX, mics I bless
Time to get down with the boogie
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
I got a mind like Minolta
Me and Show go back like the D.A. on Travolta
I want cheese like ziti
You'll get left like reuiniti trying to be me
I jam, sucker, like the God in all the ruckus
Over tracks, your girl probably claps, then I stuck her
No front, all I want is to be happy
Probably like Mary, but if you dare me, then we'll get scrappy
Don't lift weights, let the hands be dictate
The Giant is great from back then to this date
I take the cake and I bounce with the whole weight
A weapon, stepping straight from Section 8
If it's me then you might not wait
If you fake the moves, then it's your tools I'm a take
I want to see you stop me to those that knock me
Amazing with blazing talents like Rodney
Strict with the voodoo, peace to Chaka Zulu
In the clutch, I can't be touched, they must be noodles
Too many skills for you to try and doubt
Put your money where your mouth, I'm a make you wear your mouth
I've had it, time to get bruised and battered
I'm like Earvin Orsette, cause I'm great with that black magic
It's nothing when my man's on production
I reign, you catch a blow to your brain percussion
Rap savior, the more the major
Bring 'em all on, and they'll get shitted on with flavor
Reality is what it's all about
So when you hear the vibes of Show & A, check it out
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
It's time to hit ya let the melody split ya
Poems is deadly Holmes better get the picture
See these vibes are visible
Fiends see it in the mental chicks dig it in the physical
We had to lounge now I'm furious
Fake hip hoppers can they do it in '95? I'm curious
Because my squad has sickness, crazy sickness
Hit the herb, let the words start flowing with the riches
Don't compare me when you hear me
I stay true, and when I'm through, it'll pay dearly
Dre's a giant, no question, but what I question
Is how now this is your profession
I'm charged off the lye
How we do? Bless them, impress them, and hang them high
Taking loot like bakers and produce pages
And styles go for Miles, like Davis
My potential, with Show's instrumental
Got you all zoning on the vibes that we sent you
In the mental, who's that abusing rap?
Pop from the heart, so it's back to the start, black
And these tracks are incredible
S-H-O to the W, true to our revenue
That's how we feel in the BX, mics I bless
Time to get down with the boogie
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
I got a mind like Minolta
Me and Show go back like the D.A. on Travolta
I want cheese like ziti
You'll get left like reuiniti trying to be me
I jam, sucker, like the God in all the ruckus
Over tracks, your girl probably claps, then I stuck her
No front, all I want is to be happy
Probably like Mary, but if you dare me, then we'll get scrappy
Don't lift weights, let the hands be dictate
The Giant is great from back then to this date
I take the cake and I bounce with the whole weight
A weapon, stepping straight from Section 8
If it's me then you might not wait
If you fake the moves, then it's your tools I'm a take
I want to see you stop me to those that knock me
Amazing with blazing talents like Rodney
Strict with the voodoo, peace to Chaka Zulu
In the clutch, I can't be touched, they must be noodles
Too many skills for you to try and doubt
Put your money where your mouth, I'm a make you wear your mouth
I've had it, time to get bruised and battered
I'm like Earvin Orsette, cause I'm great with that black magic
It's nothing when my man's on production
I reign, you catch a blow to your brain percussion
Rap savior, the more the major
Bring 'em all on, and they'll get shitted on with flavor
Reality is what it's all about
So when you hear the vibes of Show & A, check it out
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
Check it out huh this is how it's going down
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
From the Boogie Down brothers stand around with a frown
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.