"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.
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
I ain't do it, people said I did huh?
Rap music ain't whats fuckin' up they kids huh?
Gangster rap is fuckin' up the biz huh?
My influence, something that I said cuh?
Like i'm jewish, all about the bread huh
From the sewage, tryin' to get ahead huh
I'm bout to do it, fuckin' up they head huh?
These opportunist, fuckin' up they bread huh?
Corporate america stance is irregular
Ready 'cause, rap sheet, impeccable
Multi plats, my past
What we have here is unprofessional
My metal, undetectable, my style, unselectable
Niggas runnin' they mouth thats unacceptable
21st street, long beach 'til the death of you
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
Keep shootin', thats what the people tell me huh
Get the biggest dope sack that you can sell me huh
And your homegirl do it huh, I make the whole world do it huh
Ain't no limit to the dog and thats real talk
I'm the one thats showed you how a real crip walk
Resume, document, g-file
Recollect, reflect, and let me break it down
Take it out the bag lay it on the table quick
Call my handle it quick disable this
Tickin' time bomb, made crippin' look fun
Can't walk around without your motherfuckin' gun, thats a no no
Real hood redemption, my tiny locos is really on a mission
Niggas runnin' they mouth thats unacceptable
21st street, long beach 'til the death of you
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
Do anybody in the house remember
When it wasn't no snoop dogg? (hell yeah)
It wasn't no rappers talking' bout the LBC, am I trippin' y'all (hell nah)
So its safe to say, I put it on the map huh
So if you see me on the block yeah I'm back huh
And if you don't think you know where I'm at huh
You wanna battle, little homie get your racks up
Boy you need to kit kat, make you niggas get back
Split you like a kit kat, the big homie did that
Rollin' like a rebel though, I'm on a whole 'nother level though
My heart my hair, my G, my seat that part right there
I'm more than a rapper though, pure intellectual
Smooth as a criminal, you hear me though?
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
I ain't do it, people said I did huh?
Rap music ain't whats fuckin' up they kids huh?
Gangster rap is fuckin' up the biz huh?
My influence, something that I said cuh?
Like i'm jewish, all about the bread huh
From the sewage, tryin' to get ahead huh
I'm bout to do it, fuckin' up they head huh?
These opportunist, fuckin' up they bread huh?
Corporate america stance is irregular
Ready 'cause, rap sheet, impeccable
Multi plats, my past
What we have here is unprofessional
My metal, undetectable, my style, unselectable
Niggas runnin' they mouth thats unacceptable
21st street, long beach 'til the death of you
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
Keep shootin', thats what the people tell me huh
Get the biggest dope sack that you can sell me huh
And your homegirl do it huh, I make the whole world do it huh
Ain't no limit to the dog and thats real talk
I'm the one thats showed you how a real crip walk
Resume, document, g-file
Recollect, reflect, and let me break it down
Take it out the bag lay it on the table quick
Call my handle it quick disable this
Tickin' time bomb, made crippin' look fun
Can't walk around without your motherfuckin' gun, thats a no no
Real hood redemption, my tiny locos is really on a mission
Niggas runnin' they mouth thats unacceptable
21st street, long beach 'til the death of you
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
Do anybody in the house remember
When it wasn't no snoop dogg? (hell yeah)
It wasn't no rappers talking' bout the LBC, am I trippin' y'all (hell nah)
So its safe to say, I put it on the map huh
So if you see me on the block yeah I'm back huh
And if you don't think you know where I'm at huh
You wanna battle, little homie get your racks up
Boy you need to kit kat, make you niggas get back
Split you like a kit kat, the big homie did that
Rollin' like a rebel though, I'm on a whole 'nother level though
My heart my hair, my G, my seat that part right there
I'm more than a rapper though, pure intellectual
Smooth as a criminal, you hear me though?
Told you I was bout to do it big, huh?
Came in this game as a kid huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
First nigga talk that crippin' to your kids huh
Still down ten toes in this shit huh
Keep a shooter at the gate on my crib huh
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Ten Toes Down Lyrics as written by Ermias Asghedom Calvin Broadus
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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.
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.
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.