"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.
Hey, Macklemore, can we go thrift shopping?
What-what, what, what?
What-what, what, what?
What-what, what, what?
What-what, what, what? (Da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome (now)
Walk up to the club like, "What up, I got a big cock"
Nah, I'm just pumped, I bought some shit from a thrift shop
Ice on the fringe is so damn frosty
The people like, "Damn, that's a cold-ass honkey"
Rollin' in hella deep, headed to the mezzanine
Dressed in all pink, 'cept my gator shoes, those are green
Draped in a leopard mink, girls standin' next to me
Probably should've washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets
(Piss)
But shit, it was ninety-nine cents (bag it)
Coppin' it, washin' it, 'bout to go and get some compliments
Passin' up on those moccasins someone else has been walkin' in
Bummy and grungy, fuck it, man, I am stuntin' and flossin'
And savin' my money and I'm hella happy that's a bargain, bitch
I'ma take your grandpa's style, I'ma take your grandpa's style
No, for real, ask your grandpa, can I have his hand-me-downs? (Thank you)
Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers
Dookie-brown leather jacket that I found diggin'
They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard
I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard
Hello, hello, my ace man, my mellow
John Wayne ain't got nothing on my fringe game, hell no
I could take some Pro Wings, make 'em cool, sell those
The sneaker heads'll be like "Ah, he got the Velcros"
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
What you know about rockin' a wolf on your noggin?
What you knowin' about wearin' a fur fox skin?
I'm diggin', I'm diggin', I'm searchin' right through that luggage
One man's trash, that's another man's come up
Thank your grandad for donatin' that plaid button-
Up shirt 'cause right now, I'm up in here stuntin'
I'm at the Goodwill, you can find me in the bins
I'm not, I'm not stuck on searchin' in that section (men's)
Your grammy, your auntie, your mama, your mammy
I'll take those flannel zebra jammies second hand and rock that, motherfucker
The built-in onesie with the socks on that motherfucker
I hit the party and they stop in that motherfucker
They be like, "Oh, that Gucci? That's hella tight"
I'm like, "Yo, that's fifty dollars for a T-shirt"
Limited edition, let's do some simple addition
Fifty dollars for a T-shirt, that's just some ignorant bitch shit
I call that getting swindled and pimped shit
I call that getting tricked by a business
That shirt's hella dope
And having the same one as six other people in this club is a hella don't
Peep game, come take a look through my telescope
Tryna get girls from a brand? Man, you hella won't
Man, you hella won't
Goodwill
Poppin' tags, yeah
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
I'll wear your grandad's clothes
I look incredible
I'm in this big-ass coat
From that thrift shop down the road
I'll wear your grandad's clothes (damn right)
I look incredible (now come on, man)
I'm in this big-ass coat (big-ass coat)
From that thrift shop down the road (let's go, come on)
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
Hahaha
Is that your grandma's coat?
What-what, what, what?
What-what, what, what?
What-what, what, what?
What-what, what, what? (Da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
What-what, what, what? (Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
(Da-dum, ba-dum, ba-da-do-da)
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome (now)
Walk up to the club like, "What up, I got a big cock"
Nah, I'm just pumped, I bought some shit from a thrift shop
Ice on the fringe is so damn frosty
The people like, "Damn, that's a cold-ass honkey"
Rollin' in hella deep, headed to the mezzanine
Dressed in all pink, 'cept my gator shoes, those are green
Draped in a leopard mink, girls standin' next to me
Probably should've washed this, smells like R. Kelly's sheets
(Piss)
But shit, it was ninety-nine cents (bag it)
Coppin' it, washin' it, 'bout to go and get some compliments
Passin' up on those moccasins someone else has been walkin' in
Bummy and grungy, fuck it, man, I am stuntin' and flossin'
And savin' my money and I'm hella happy that's a bargain, bitch
I'ma take your grandpa's style, I'ma take your grandpa's style
No, for real, ask your grandpa, can I have his hand-me-downs? (Thank you)
Velour jumpsuit and some house slippers
Dookie-brown leather jacket that I found diggin'
They had a broken keyboard, I bought a broken keyboard
I bought a skeet blanket, then I bought a kneeboard
Hello, hello, my ace man, my mellow
John Wayne ain't got nothing on my fringe game, hell no
I could take some Pro Wings, make 'em cool, sell those
The sneaker heads'll be like "Ah, he got the Velcros"
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
What you know about rockin' a wolf on your noggin?
What you knowin' about wearin' a fur fox skin?
I'm diggin', I'm diggin', I'm searchin' right through that luggage
One man's trash, that's another man's come up
Thank your grandad for donatin' that plaid button-
Up shirt 'cause right now, I'm up in here stuntin'
I'm at the Goodwill, you can find me in the bins
I'm not, I'm not stuck on searchin' in that section (men's)
Your grammy, your auntie, your mama, your mammy
I'll take those flannel zebra jammies second hand and rock that, motherfucker
The built-in onesie with the socks on that motherfucker
I hit the party and they stop in that motherfucker
They be like, "Oh, that Gucci? That's hella tight"
I'm like, "Yo, that's fifty dollars for a T-shirt"
Limited edition, let's do some simple addition
Fifty dollars for a T-shirt, that's just some ignorant bitch shit
I call that getting swindled and pimped shit
I call that getting tricked by a business
That shirt's hella dope
And having the same one as six other people in this club is a hella don't
Peep game, come take a look through my telescope
Tryna get girls from a brand? Man, you hella won't
Man, you hella won't
Goodwill
Poppin' tags, yeah
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
I'll wear your grandad's clothes
I look incredible
I'm in this big-ass coat
From that thrift shop down the road
I'll wear your grandad's clothes (damn right)
I look incredible (now come on, man)
I'm in this big-ass coat (big-ass coat)
From that thrift shop down the road (let's go, come on)
I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I'm, I'm, I'm huntin', lookin' for a come up
This is fucking awesome
Hahaha
Is that your grandma's coat?
Lyrics submitted by pervnerve, edited by suljic, phoebe9261, songcraze9, tigerx2374, tiffanywex, peachesflag
Thrift Shop Lyrics as written by Ryan Scott Lewis Ben Haggerty
Lyrics © 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
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.
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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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.
No, I agree. It's pointless.