"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.
I appreciate that, yeah
Yo, this Neptunes and NORE
You better bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me
Bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me
Bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me (yeah, yeah)
Bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me (yeah, yeah)
I'm sayin', sayin'
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Ayo, I bust to the scen-ene cuss to the scen-ene
I admit a little bit, I lust for the crea-neam
Everytime you see me, see me biggin' up my tea-neam
With a triple be-neam, tryna make gre-neen
Thugged out, even when you catch me in the cuisine
My clan mad dirty, y'all too cle-nean
Hennessey with Smirnoff make a nigga me-nean
I need two more like I was a fein-eind
Drinks galore, everytime I'm in the scen-ene
0 to 60, didn't want a sixteen-een
You see it in my coats or you see it in my jizz-eans
You can't tell? You should know the way I lizz-eans
Water so clear, I think I'm in Carribbean
Everybody gone, like we straight clipping
You better watch out when we start flipping
Let's end you, nigga, and you know we ain't slipping
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Ayo, verse two, coming with my Heineken brew
N-O-R putting people back in ICU
You ain't even thiddink that I need a driddink
Hit you up quick before you could even bliddink
Give you a splitting, cut you up with the shiddank
Tell your accountant to go and just check the biddank
I damn near broke you and I ain't even thiddink
I got a trailer load of girls like Shabba Riddanks
Guaranteed to be there just like Fed Ex
We write our own rhymes, kid, you can check the credits
Me and Nature stay fuckin' with grimlettes
Yo, the hood raddest, the bitch's ass is the fattest
Smack, smack, smack, smack, peep Gladys
If you don't know, yo, then I don't know
I'm gonna get some head, nigga, after the show
You can meet me at the room, nigga, 6-6-4, ayo
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
It's all goo-nood do my songs for the hoo-nood
Platinum shit, while y'all things go woo-nood
Yo, you try to diss me, ya man told you that you shou-nould
I blew over you and I told you that I cou-nould
Me and Drag pack it, Neptunes on the wheels
Clue sneakin' in the tables and he sneakin the steels
People walkin' in my section that I don't even know
I'm like, "get lost, or you stay ya ass home"
You's a fre-neak always see you in the stre-neet
Walkin', walkin' 'til you get wea-neak
You on the E train, 7 train, plus the bus
I don't even like you, 'cause you can't be trusted
You need to get up out my face, ain't nothin' to discuss
You don't like me, then cool, yep, I don't care
But if you get up in my face, yo, I don't care
It's a dirty game and both of us ain't playin fair, ayo
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
Oh no, oh, oh no
Oh no, oh, oh no
Oh no, oh, oh no
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh
Neptunes hits the beat like one of the best
N-E-P-T-U-N-E-S
Neptunes hits the beat like one of the best
And uh
What-what-what, what-what-what
What-what-what, what-what-what
What-what-what, what-what-what, w-what, w-what
Yo, this Neptunes and NORE
You better bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me
Bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me
Bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me (yeah, yeah)
Bounce, b-b-bounce, bounce wit' me (yeah, yeah)
I'm sayin', sayin'
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Ayo, I bust to the scen-ene cuss to the scen-ene
I admit a little bit, I lust for the crea-neam
Everytime you see me, see me biggin' up my tea-neam
With a triple be-neam, tryna make gre-neen
Thugged out, even when you catch me in the cuisine
My clan mad dirty, y'all too cle-nean
Hennessey with Smirnoff make a nigga me-nean
I need two more like I was a fein-eind
Drinks galore, everytime I'm in the scen-ene
0 to 60, didn't want a sixteen-een
You see it in my coats or you see it in my jizz-eans
You can't tell? You should know the way I lizz-eans
Water so clear, I think I'm in Carribbean
Everybody gone, like we straight clipping
You better watch out when we start flipping
Let's end you, nigga, and you know we ain't slipping
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Ayo, verse two, coming with my Heineken brew
N-O-R putting people back in ICU
You ain't even thiddink that I need a driddink
Hit you up quick before you could even bliddink
Give you a splitting, cut you up with the shiddank
Tell your accountant to go and just check the biddank
I damn near broke you and I ain't even thiddink
I got a trailer load of girls like Shabba Riddanks
Guaranteed to be there just like Fed Ex
We write our own rhymes, kid, you can check the credits
Me and Nature stay fuckin' with grimlettes
Yo, the hood raddest, the bitch's ass is the fattest
Smack, smack, smack, smack, peep Gladys
If you don't know, yo, then I don't know
I'm gonna get some head, nigga, after the show
You can meet me at the room, nigga, 6-6-4, ayo
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
It's all goo-nood do my songs for the hoo-nood
Platinum shit, while y'all things go woo-nood
Yo, you try to diss me, ya man told you that you shou-nould
I blew over you and I told you that I cou-nould
Me and Drag pack it, Neptunes on the wheels
Clue sneakin' in the tables and he sneakin the steels
People walkin' in my section that I don't even know
I'm like, "get lost, or you stay ya ass home"
You's a fre-neak always see you in the stre-neet
Walkin', walkin' 'til you get wea-neak
You on the E train, 7 train, plus the bus
I don't even like you, 'cause you can't be trusted
You need to get up out my face, ain't nothin' to discuss
You don't like me, then cool, yep, I don't care
But if you get up in my face, yo, I don't care
It's a dirty game and both of us ain't playin fair, ayo
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh no (what-what-what, what-what-what)
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh (what-what-what, what-what-what)
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
I told y'all fibbers, all of y'all critters
Don't be contemplating my figures
'Cause I hang with go-getters, straight flow spitters
'Cris and Mo' sippers, scarin' your niggas
Oh no, oh, oh no
Oh no, oh, oh no
Oh no, oh, oh no
Oh no, oh, oh, oh, oh
Neptunes hits the beat like one of the best
N-E-P-T-U-N-E-S
Neptunes hits the beat like one of the best
And uh
What-what-what, what-what-what
What-what-what, what-what-what
What-what-what, what-what-what, w-what, w-what
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Oh No Lyrics as written by Pharrell Williams Chad Hugo
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
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"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.