"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.
Uh uh uh uh uh
Yeah
That’s what I’m talking about
Lemme clean my glasses
Lemme wipe off my sneakers
Lemme tilt my hat
You understand
[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]
Calm down, shorty, the alpha dude’s up
They don’t wanna touch ‘em they alpha dude touch
Just when they think they getting slick I lift
Switch my altitude up
Drop a little jewelry down
Pick my valuables up lay my tomfoolery down
They like the way I Converse
They alpha dude Chucks
But these Taylors here are tailor-made for me
The Geminis the Pros and the Sh-Shayla Gs
Yeah, a four-man squad that’ll play your league
Play you four-on-forty, give you a hundred-point lead
Then we still pimp the game like it’s Hunter’s point, please
Homie (Homie) Y-y-ya know me (ya know me)
You might see me down Stoney Island, Ridin’
Madison-Travelin’, Michigan-Visitin’
Roosevelt-Rollin’, Home and Roamin’
Halstead-Walkin’, Jeffrey’s-Joggin’
[Chorus]
Yes these problems, didn’t you know? (echo)
He’s here!
[Shayla G]
I’m right behind ya man
Who you think better than
I’m over ya heads like Excedrin
I keep telling them
I’m coming
Keep pumping me like a veteran
I do it
Part in confidence just that my jargon’s number one in my conference
I take state, raise stakes while joggin’
We take nationals no bargains
I’m barging through the door
I’m tired of knocking my knuckles are sore
It’s nothing no more
FNF hot like TNT pop D and D not
Disturbed revenge of the nerds
I told you vengeance this hurts
Time to get my grown woman on like bees and the birds
Me and my squad like peas in a pod
Haven’t you heard (echo)
Homie (homie)
Y-y-ya know me (ya know me)
You might see me ‘bout Stoney Island
Ridin’
79th
Wildin’
While while hundred stallions
State Street grinding that’s who I am
Didn’t you know (echo)
He’s here!
[Lupe Fiasco]
Uh,You’re now Hip Hoppin’ with the better
FNF
I do it for the letters
Track tripping pimping
I do it for the cheddar
I chat different listen
I put it all together
Wonder how I remain cool
When I’m pedaling the fire
When niggas got littler than a sweater in the dryer
Homie I was a pusher of medicines for hire
So I can walk through the cookers without sweating my attire
Get through the drought without sweating my supplier
Without giving out my connect to the buyers
I hope I get it correct
Before the sun rises in the west
And god sends his Messiah
And then he wakes up the tired and is done
Homie (Homie)
Y-y-ya know me (ya know me)
You might see me down Stoney Island-Ridin’
Madison-Travelin’
Lakeshore or State and
Lake Street pacin’
Harvey-Hoppin’
Alden-Poppin’
K-Town-Creepin’
South Shore-Shufflin’
While while wanderin’
Housin’
Hustlin’
Hometown hero
Chicago’s tomorrow
West side hanger
Yes he’s danger
Didn’t you know? (echo)
He’s here!
Yeah
That’s what I’m talking about
Lemme clean my glasses
Lemme wipe off my sneakers
Lemme tilt my hat
You understand
[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]
Calm down, shorty, the alpha dude’s up
They don’t wanna touch ‘em they alpha dude touch
Just when they think they getting slick I lift
Switch my altitude up
Drop a little jewelry down
Pick my valuables up lay my tomfoolery down
They like the way I Converse
They alpha dude Chucks
But these Taylors here are tailor-made for me
The Geminis the Pros and the Sh-Shayla Gs
Yeah, a four-man squad that’ll play your league
Play you four-on-forty, give you a hundred-point lead
Then we still pimp the game like it’s Hunter’s point, please
Homie (Homie) Y-y-ya know me (ya know me)
You might see me down Stoney Island, Ridin’
Madison-Travelin’, Michigan-Visitin’
Roosevelt-Rollin’, Home and Roamin’
Halstead-Walkin’, Jeffrey’s-Joggin’
[Chorus]
Yes these problems, didn’t you know? (echo)
He’s here!
[Shayla G]
I’m right behind ya man
Who you think better than
I’m over ya heads like Excedrin
I keep telling them
I’m coming
Keep pumping me like a veteran
I do it
Part in confidence just that my jargon’s number one in my conference
I take state, raise stakes while joggin’
We take nationals no bargains
I’m barging through the door
I’m tired of knocking my knuckles are sore
It’s nothing no more
FNF hot like TNT pop D and D not
Disturbed revenge of the nerds
I told you vengeance this hurts
Time to get my grown woman on like bees and the birds
Me and my squad like peas in a pod
Haven’t you heard (echo)
Homie (homie)
Y-y-ya know me (ya know me)
You might see me ‘bout Stoney Island
Ridin’
79th
Wildin’
While while hundred stallions
State Street grinding that’s who I am
Didn’t you know (echo)
He’s here!
[Lupe Fiasco]
Uh,You’re now Hip Hoppin’ with the better
FNF
I do it for the letters
Track tripping pimping
I do it for the cheddar
I chat different listen
I put it all together
Wonder how I remain cool
When I’m pedaling the fire
When niggas got littler than a sweater in the dryer
Homie I was a pusher of medicines for hire
So I can walk through the cookers without sweating my attire
Get through the drought without sweating my supplier
Without giving out my connect to the buyers
I hope I get it correct
Before the sun rises in the west
And god sends his Messiah
And then he wakes up the tired and is done
Homie (Homie)
Y-y-ya know me (ya know me)
You might see me down Stoney Island-Ridin’
Madison-Travelin’
Lakeshore or State and
Lake Street pacin’
Harvey-Hoppin’
Alden-Poppin’
K-Town-Creepin’
South Shore-Shufflin’
While while wanderin’
Housin’
Hustlin’
Hometown hero
Chicago’s tomorrow
West side hanger
Yes he’s danger
Didn’t you know? (echo)
He’s here!
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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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.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
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.