"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.
Watch your step or you might fall
You act like you're a know-it-all
Yeah I used to do that, I used to be like that
I'm still a bit like that
You might think you found the one
Until your heart gets ripped and torn
Yeah I used to feel bad, I used to feel like that
I still feel a bit like that
But I'm not searching for the answer
I'm not looking for the truth
I'm just talking through a speaker
Because that's all that I have ever learned to do
Use your mind and make it talk
'Cause in this world it's all you've got
We all fall down from the highest clouds to the lowest ground
The loneliness is worst of all
When you've got no one else to call
Feeling kind of sad when the times are bad, the times are getting bad
But I'm not searching for the answer
No, I'm not looking for the truth
I'm just talking through a speaker
Because that's all that I could ever learn to do
Because that's all that I have ever learned to do
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
So watch your step or you might fall
You act like you're a know-it-all
Yeah I used to do that, I used to be like that
I'm still a bit like that
You act like you're a know-it-all
Yeah I used to do that, I used to be like that
I'm still a bit like that
You might think you found the one
Until your heart gets ripped and torn
Yeah I used to feel bad, I used to feel like that
I still feel a bit like that
But I'm not searching for the answer
I'm not looking for the truth
I'm just talking through a speaker
Because that's all that I have ever learned to do
Use your mind and make it talk
'Cause in this world it's all you've got
We all fall down from the highest clouds to the lowest ground
The loneliness is worst of all
When you've got no one else to call
Feeling kind of sad when the times are bad, the times are getting bad
But I'm not searching for the answer
No, I'm not looking for the truth
I'm just talking through a speaker
Because that's all that I could ever learn to do
Because that's all that I have ever learned to do
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
What about you?
So watch your step or you might fall
You act like you're a know-it-all
Yeah I used to do that, I used to be like that
I'm still a bit like that
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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/
This song is about someone growing old, looking at someone who is a lot younger than them. They remember when they were their age and experienced the same things they did and is comparing both of their lives. They are saying that they've stopped questioning things and have learnt to accept things and that they are singing and voicing opinion because it is all they have taught themselves. They are then asking what is important to them and what they are good at and they should follow it.