"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.
(I guess right now you've got the last laugh)
I'm sorry if I seem uninterested
Or I'm not listenin' or I'm indifferent
Truly, I ain't got no business here
But since my friends are here, I just came to kick it
But really I would rather be at home all by myself not in this room
With people who don't even care about my well being
I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend
So you can go back, please enjoy your party
I'll be here
Somewhere in the corner under clouds of marijuana
With this boy who's hollering, I can hardly hear
Over this music I don't listen to and I don't wanna get with you
So tell my friends that I'll be over here
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here
Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this
An anti-social pessimist, but usually I don't mess with this
And I know you mean only the best
And your intentions aren't to bother me
But honestly I'd rather be
Somewhere with my people we can kick it and just listen
To some music with the message (like we usually do)
And we'll discuss our big dreams
How we plan to take over the planet
So pardon my manners, I hope you'll understand
That I'll be here
Not there in the kitchen with the girl
Who's always gossiping about her friends
So tell them I'll be here
Right next to the boy who's throwing up
'Cause he can't take what's in his cup no more
Oh God, why am I here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here
Hours later congregating next to the refrigerator
Some girl's talking 'bout her haters
She ain't got none
How did it ever come to this
I shoulda never come to this
So holla at me, I'll be in the car when you're done
I'm standoffish, don't want what you're offering
And I'm done talking
Awfully sad it had to be that way
So tell my people when they're ready that I'm ready
And I'm standing by the TV with my beanie low
Yo, I'll be over here
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here
I'm sorry if I seem uninterested
Or I'm not listenin' or I'm indifferent
Truly, I ain't got no business here
But since my friends are here, I just came to kick it
But really I would rather be at home all by myself not in this room
With people who don't even care about my well being
I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend
So you can go back, please enjoy your party
I'll be here
Somewhere in the corner under clouds of marijuana
With this boy who's hollering, I can hardly hear
Over this music I don't listen to and I don't wanna get with you
So tell my friends that I'll be over here
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here
Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this
An anti-social pessimist, but usually I don't mess with this
And I know you mean only the best
And your intentions aren't to bother me
But honestly I'd rather be
Somewhere with my people we can kick it and just listen
To some music with the message (like we usually do)
And we'll discuss our big dreams
How we plan to take over the planet
So pardon my manners, I hope you'll understand
That I'll be here
Not there in the kitchen with the girl
Who's always gossiping about her friends
So tell them I'll be here
Right next to the boy who's throwing up
'Cause he can't take what's in his cup no more
Oh God, why am I here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here
Hours later congregating next to the refrigerator
Some girl's talking 'bout her haters
She ain't got none
How did it ever come to this
I shoulda never come to this
So holla at me, I'll be in the car when you're done
I'm standoffish, don't want what you're offering
And I'm done talking
Awfully sad it had to be that way
So tell my people when they're ready that I'm ready
And I'm standing by the TV with my beanie low
Yo, I'll be over here
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
Oh, I ask myself what am I doing here?
Oh-oh-oh here, oh-oh-oh here
And I can't wait 'til we can break up out of here
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Here Lyrics as written by Isaac Hayes Terence Po Lun Lam
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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”