"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.
Now girl, you ain't a pretty love song
Some kind of Barry Manilow
You're an edgy little rocker, call me up at one o'clock
And say you're sneaking out your bedroom window, here we go!
You're a dixie full of JD, dancing in the Casey's
In your tight tee, yeah
Baby, if you were a CD, I'd put you in my boombox, leave it on repeat-peat
And, girl, I got you stuck in my head
Knocking me down with that little beat you're thumpin'
Wanna get you all up in a truck, fogging it up
Keeping that king cab thumping
All night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
You're my party song
And, girl, you know you got a Mozart
A work of art kinda kiss
Yeah, the kinda automatic gotta have it classic
With the butterfly over the bass remix
You're whatever God came for out there on the dance floor
Shaking what the good Lord gave ya
Making all the girls jealous
Rocking this juke joint jail house just like Elvis
And, girl, I got you stuck in my head
Knocking me down with that little beat you're thumpin'
Wanna get you all up in a truck, doing the stuff
Keeping that king cab thumping
All night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
You're my party song
You're a dixie full of JD
Dancing in the Casey's
Baby if you were a CD, I'd put you in a boombox, leave it on repeat
And girl I got you stuck in my head
Knocking me down with that little beat you're thumpin'
Wanna get you all up in a truck, fogging it up
Keeping that king cab thumping
All night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
I'm talking all night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
You're my party song
My party song, my party song
Girl, you're my party song
You're my party song
Some kind of Barry Manilow
You're an edgy little rocker, call me up at one o'clock
And say you're sneaking out your bedroom window, here we go!
You're a dixie full of JD, dancing in the Casey's
In your tight tee, yeah
Baby, if you were a CD, I'd put you in my boombox, leave it on repeat-peat
And, girl, I got you stuck in my head
Knocking me down with that little beat you're thumpin'
Wanna get you all up in a truck, fogging it up
Keeping that king cab thumping
All night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
You're my party song
And, girl, you know you got a Mozart
A work of art kinda kiss
Yeah, the kinda automatic gotta have it classic
With the butterfly over the bass remix
You're whatever God came for out there on the dance floor
Shaking what the good Lord gave ya
Making all the girls jealous
Rocking this juke joint jail house just like Elvis
And, girl, I got you stuck in my head
Knocking me down with that little beat you're thumpin'
Wanna get you all up in a truck, doing the stuff
Keeping that king cab thumping
All night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
You're my party song
You're a dixie full of JD
Dancing in the Casey's
Baby if you were a CD, I'd put you in a boombox, leave it on repeat
And girl I got you stuck in my head
Knocking me down with that little beat you're thumpin'
Wanna get you all up in a truck, fogging it up
Keeping that king cab thumping
All night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
I'm talking all night long
Wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
'Cause you're my party song
I wanna keep you turned up, baby, keep you turned on
You're my party song
My party song, my party song
Girl, you're my party song
You're my party song
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Party Song Lyrics as written by Craig Michael Wiseman Brett Tyler
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Anthem Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.