"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.
It's in my blood
It's in my veins
The way I work it baby
You know what's in my mind
It's in my heart
It's the way I move that body
And every time I leave
My image on your mind
No other like me, yeah baby you'll see
Won't ya come my way
I'll lock ya down and I'll throw out the key
Won't ya come my way
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you go mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you so mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
(Make you mad)
It's in the night
I hear you call in the midnight hour
That's when I come alive
Turn out the light
Now you're gonna feel my power
Can't take the heat
Coming from the inside out
No other like me, yeah baby you'll see
Won't ya come my way
I'll lock ya down and I'll throw out the key
Won't ya come my way? (Whoa)
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you go mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you so mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
(Make you mad, make you mad)
(Make you mad, make you mad)
(Make you mad, make you mad)
Ay, won't ya come my way?
Ay, won't ya come my way?
Ay won't ya come my, won't ya come my
Won't ya come my way (what you say now?)
Ay won't ya come my way (ooh)
Ay won't ya come my way (what you say now?)
Ay won't ya come my, won't ya come my
Won't ya come my way
I'm gonna make you miss me (I'ma make you miss me)
I'm gonna make you go mad (whoah oh)
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had baby (best you ever had baby)
I'm gonna make you miss me (gonna make you love me)
I'm gonna make you so mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
It's in my veins
The way I work it baby
You know what's in my mind
It's in my heart
It's the way I move that body
And every time I leave
My image on your mind
No other like me, yeah baby you'll see
Won't ya come my way
I'll lock ya down and I'll throw out the key
Won't ya come my way
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you go mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you so mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
(Make you mad)
It's in the night
I hear you call in the midnight hour
That's when I come alive
Turn out the light
Now you're gonna feel my power
Can't take the heat
Coming from the inside out
No other like me, yeah baby you'll see
Won't ya come my way
I'll lock ya down and I'll throw out the key
Won't ya come my way? (Whoa)
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you go mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
I'm gonna make you miss me
I'm gonna make you so mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
(Make you mad, make you mad)
(Make you mad, make you mad)
(Make you mad, make you mad)
Ay, won't ya come my way?
Ay, won't ya come my way?
Ay won't ya come my, won't ya come my
Won't ya come my way (what you say now?)
Ay won't ya come my way (ooh)
Ay won't ya come my way (what you say now?)
Ay won't ya come my, won't ya come my
Won't ya come my way
I'm gonna make you miss me (I'ma make you miss me)
I'm gonna make you go mad (whoah oh)
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had baby (best you ever had baby)
I'm gonna make you miss me (gonna make you love me)
I'm gonna make you so mad
I'm gonna make sure I'm the best you ever had
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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,
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.