"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.
Weightless and without form, sometimes I feel like this existence is trying me, failing me, a thoughtless path that’s killing me slowly.
There has to be some way to crawl away from the mundane, to start again, be born again, and dare to live without compromise or conform
I close my eyes, I see myself for that, what I’ve become, a selfish man, a pitied man, trying to please the world and myself.
I hide in the shadows and in plain sight for all of you to see, the double, the triple, the other self’s condemned to hide who I really am…
I can see it, I can see it – a chance to be all that I am
I can see it, I can see it – a chance to grow and start to live again
Fly into the center of the Universe
And find the meaning behind your “self”
Watch it die, then watch it reborn
Stumble on this darkened path
The answers are there, reach in and see
Death is not the end, but a start, a chance
To live as if you were nude…
Nothing to hide, only as nude…
So here we are, the masks have been burned, a time to show our real face, this time and place, no longer hiding who we are if not only to you
Like a new life born, look forward to the journey, it’s not late, there is no fate, create our new lives and live like we were nude…
Fly into the center of the Universe
And find the meaning behind your “self”
Watch it die, then watch it reborn
Stumble on this darkened path
The answers are there, reach in and see
Death is not the end, but a start, a chance
To live as if you were nude…
Nothing to hide, only as nude…
There has to be some way to crawl away from the mundane, to start again, be born again, and dare to live without compromise or conform
I close my eyes, I see myself for that, what I’ve become, a selfish man, a pitied man, trying to please the world and myself.
I hide in the shadows and in plain sight for all of you to see, the double, the triple, the other self’s condemned to hide who I really am…
I can see it, I can see it – a chance to be all that I am
I can see it, I can see it – a chance to grow and start to live again
Fly into the center of the Universe
And find the meaning behind your “self”
Watch it die, then watch it reborn
Stumble on this darkened path
The answers are there, reach in and see
Death is not the end, but a start, a chance
To live as if you were nude…
Nothing to hide, only as nude…
So here we are, the masks have been burned, a time to show our real face, this time and place, no longer hiding who we are if not only to you
Like a new life born, look forward to the journey, it’s not late, there is no fate, create our new lives and live like we were nude…
Fly into the center of the Universe
And find the meaning behind your “self”
Watch it die, then watch it reborn
Stumble on this darkened path
The answers are there, reach in and see
Death is not the end, but a start, a chance
To live as if you were nude…
Nothing to hide, only as nude…
Lyrics submitted by Zargoth
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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/