"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.
(Chew it up, chew it up)
Busta Bus' down somethin' (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Crucial Keys in the spot (pick it up, pick it up)
Flipmode squad, come on (pick it up, yeah)
(Fall Fall Fall)
Rampage talk to 'em
You was with me ma when I first copped my deal
Bought you the five karats plus the house on the hill
The blue Escalade with them new chrome wheels
You told me the other day I don't know how you feel
It's been five months, I been driving you crazy
You told your friend the other day you was havin' my baby
Sayin'' I'm acting funny, Ramp I'm so crazy
All you wanna do is be my number one lady
Fallin' (fallin')
I keep fallin', in and out, love with you
Sometimes I love you, sometimes I'm blue
Sometimes I glow inside, other times you made me cry
Tell me what am I to do, I'm so confused
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me how (how)
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me why
I keep on fallin'
In and out of love, with you
I never, loved someone like you (don't you never say never ma)
I'm fallin', in and out of love
With you (with you)
I never, way that I love you (don't you never say never ma)
I never felt this way
Tell me why I feet this way (come on)
How do you, give me such, pleasure and pain?
And when I think, I've taken all any fool can endure
That is when, I start to fall, for you once more
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me how (how)
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me why
I keep on fallin'
In and out of love, with you (with you)
I never (I never), loved someone like you
I'm fallin'
With you (with you)
I never, way that I love you
(C'mon) Every day and night, runnin' the street
I ain't got no time for my shorty, that's why she gettin' (wild for the night)
Even though I show you my love
Just because I stay on the hustle you be gettin' (wild for the night)
I don't mean to be brushin' you off
Come on ma, I'm gettin this paper
So why you gettin' (wild for the night)?
For real ma, if I couldn't hold it down
And take care of shit, you be really gettin' (wild for the night)
I'm fallin'
Fall, fall, fall
The heavy-weight, Brooklyn rebel that can't rest
Me and you up in the 600 S
Travelling for free from state to state
All we do is eat good and gain weight
When we argue it's love and hate
Ma, I made the mistake you gave me a break
I got locked by the Jake
You was right I had to take the whole cake
I'm a hustlin' nigga, you know I ain't fake
I keep on fallin' with you (in and out of love)
I never, love someone like you (love someone like you baby)
I'm fallin', with you
I never (said I never) way that I love you
I keep on fallin', with you
I never, love someone like you (love someone quite like my baby)
I'm fallin', with you
I never, way that I love you (fallin')
To the left y'all, to the right now
Spread it out y'all, move it out y'all
Get it up y'all, keep it movin y'all
Keep it goin' y'all
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, come on
In love, out of love, in love and out of love
Up and down, and back and forth
Alicia Keys talk to 'em please
Busta Bus' down somethin' (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Crucial Keys in the spot (pick it up, pick it up)
Flipmode squad, come on (pick it up, yeah)
(Fall Fall Fall)
Rampage talk to 'em
You was with me ma when I first copped my deal
Bought you the five karats plus the house on the hill
The blue Escalade with them new chrome wheels
You told me the other day I don't know how you feel
It's been five months, I been driving you crazy
You told your friend the other day you was havin' my baby
Sayin'' I'm acting funny, Ramp I'm so crazy
All you wanna do is be my number one lady
Fallin' (fallin')
I keep fallin', in and out, love with you
Sometimes I love you, sometimes I'm blue
Sometimes I glow inside, other times you made me cry
Tell me what am I to do, I'm so confused
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me how (how)
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me why
I keep on fallin'
In and out of love, with you
I never, loved someone like you (don't you never say never ma)
I'm fallin', in and out of love
With you (with you)
I never, way that I love you (don't you never say never ma)
I never felt this way
Tell me why I feet this way (come on)
How do you, give me such, pleasure and pain?
And when I think, I've taken all any fool can endure
That is when, I start to fall, for you once more
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me how (how)
Tell me who, tell me what, tell me when
Tell me when, tell me why
I keep on fallin'
In and out of love, with you (with you)
I never (I never), loved someone like you
I'm fallin'
With you (with you)
I never, way that I love you
(C'mon) Every day and night, runnin' the street
I ain't got no time for my shorty, that's why she gettin' (wild for the night)
Even though I show you my love
Just because I stay on the hustle you be gettin' (wild for the night)
I don't mean to be brushin' you off
Come on ma, I'm gettin this paper
So why you gettin' (wild for the night)?
For real ma, if I couldn't hold it down
And take care of shit, you be really gettin' (wild for the night)
I'm fallin'
Fall, fall, fall
The heavy-weight, Brooklyn rebel that can't rest
Me and you up in the 600 S
Travelling for free from state to state
All we do is eat good and gain weight
When we argue it's love and hate
Ma, I made the mistake you gave me a break
I got locked by the Jake
You was right I had to take the whole cake
I'm a hustlin' nigga, you know I ain't fake
I keep on fallin' with you (in and out of love)
I never, love someone like you (love someone like you baby)
I'm fallin', with you
I never (said I never) way that I love you
I keep on fallin', with you
I never, love someone like you (love someone quite like my baby)
I'm fallin', with you
I never, way that I love you (fallin')
To the left y'all, to the right now
Spread it out y'all, move it out y'all
Get it up y'all, keep it movin y'all
Keep it goin' y'all
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, come on
In love, out of love, in love and out of love
Up and down, and back and forth
Alicia Keys talk to 'em please
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Fallin' [Remix] Lyrics as written by Alicia J. Augello-cook
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
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.
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.
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.