"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.
Drunk men stagger, drunk men fall
Drunk men swear and that's not all
Quite often they will urinate outdoors
Like widowed women, drunk men weep
Like children curled up, drunk men sleep
Like a dog, a drunk will crawl around on all fours
Be he broke bum or rich rake
His dinner be it bread or cake
His beverage be the worse of whiskey, finest wine
Puke it stinks and so it seems
That drunkards go to great extremes
But there has yet to be a perfectly straight high
Drunks talk strong when drunks are weak
It's easy for a drunk to speak
Straight from the heart
Yeah, drunks will fight they're not afraid
They'll kiss the mistress and make the maid
It's a manly art
Oh, but big toll will take
Blood vessels in nose will break
Bags beneath the eyes, another sign
Drunks get ugly, so it seems
That drunkards go to great extremes
But there has yet to be a perfectly straight line
Drunks are friendly when they're drunk and
Drunks are hostile when they're drunk
Which drunk it is, it all depends upon
When drunks aren't drunk, they thirst for drink
And the elephants are grey, not pink
And the drink evaporates the man is gone, gone, gone, gone
Back to the yachts and the subway cars
To the hip flasks and fruit jars
Flat on the face and flat on the behind
Oh, drunks get drunk and so it seems
That drunkards go to great extremes
But there has yet to be a perfectly straight line
Straight line
Straight line
Drunk men swear and that's not all
Quite often they will urinate outdoors
Like widowed women, drunk men weep
Like children curled up, drunk men sleep
Like a dog, a drunk will crawl around on all fours
Be he broke bum or rich rake
His dinner be it bread or cake
His beverage be the worse of whiskey, finest wine
Puke it stinks and so it seems
That drunkards go to great extremes
But there has yet to be a perfectly straight high
Drunks talk strong when drunks are weak
It's easy for a drunk to speak
Straight from the heart
Yeah, drunks will fight they're not afraid
They'll kiss the mistress and make the maid
It's a manly art
Oh, but big toll will take
Blood vessels in nose will break
Bags beneath the eyes, another sign
Drunks get ugly, so it seems
That drunkards go to great extremes
But there has yet to be a perfectly straight line
Drunks are friendly when they're drunk and
Drunks are hostile when they're drunk
Which drunk it is, it all depends upon
When drunks aren't drunk, they thirst for drink
And the elephants are grey, not pink
And the drink evaporates the man is gone, gone, gone, gone
Back to the yachts and the subway cars
To the hip flasks and fruit jars
Flat on the face and flat on the behind
Oh, drunks get drunk and so it seems
That drunkards go to great extremes
But there has yet to be a perfectly straight line
Straight line
Straight line
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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,
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/
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.