"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 was all about a dream
Turned it to reality, Double cup of lean
Uh
Let me get a one-way ticket, haven't picked a destination
I'm just tryna catch the train before it has to leave the station
Packin' no bags, nothin' but the clothes on my back
With a Cognac, let me sip it, tryin' to relax
Red wine up in my glass, plus Filet Mignon
I got a army right up under me, I'm Genghis Khan
Yeah, it's me against the world, I guess I'll take them on
I might stop and see my girl, but I ain't stayin' long
What if I'm gone, what the fuck you gon' think then?
I told my story, put my life inside this ink pen
Said I'll make it big when everybody know me
Well, I made it big and everybody phony, ha
So could you pour me? I need a cup
No, none of that liquor, mix in purple stuff
I could talk my pain, but would it hurt too much?
Go 'head, judge me, hate cost money, but this love free
They just dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the sky, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
They just dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the street, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
What the, what the fuck is time? (Ha)
Ask 'em, what the fuck is time? (I don't know)
What the fuck is time? I ask 'em, what the fuck is time?
What do you do when you think you could be a icon?
'Cause all these people get to screamin' when the lights on
Like they just seen a ghost, earn my stripes, zebra coat
Racin' to the gate but my flight gone
And now these writers takin' shots without a Nikon
But I don't fight though, figure it's a typo
Seems we in some shit now, gonna be alright though
Potion in my Sprite, then my night slows down, down (ha)
See, that's exactly what I need
My khaki's filled with cheese, my homie Sap is on the beat
Like it was "Donald Trump," a fuckin' hit but I just call it luck
They throw it on when I'm walkin' in the club
Hey, this the 'Burgh shit, I don't deserve this
Well, I don't think you lookin' far beyond the surface
Learn quick, now I'm big time
Fill your cup up, and I'ma sip mine
Fill it up with dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the sky, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
They just dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the street, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
What the, what the fuck is time? (Ha)
Ask 'em, what the fuck is time? (I don't know)
What the fuck is time? I ask 'em, what the fuck is time?
Aight
Turned it to reality, Double cup of lean
Uh
Let me get a one-way ticket, haven't picked a destination
I'm just tryna catch the train before it has to leave the station
Packin' no bags, nothin' but the clothes on my back
With a Cognac, let me sip it, tryin' to relax
Red wine up in my glass, plus Filet Mignon
I got a army right up under me, I'm Genghis Khan
Yeah, it's me against the world, I guess I'll take them on
I might stop and see my girl, but I ain't stayin' long
What if I'm gone, what the fuck you gon' think then?
I told my story, put my life inside this ink pen
Said I'll make it big when everybody know me
Well, I made it big and everybody phony, ha
So could you pour me? I need a cup
No, none of that liquor, mix in purple stuff
I could talk my pain, but would it hurt too much?
Go 'head, judge me, hate cost money, but this love free
They just dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the sky, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
They just dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the street, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
What the, what the fuck is time? (Ha)
Ask 'em, what the fuck is time? (I don't know)
What the fuck is time? I ask 'em, what the fuck is time?
What do you do when you think you could be a icon?
'Cause all these people get to screamin' when the lights on
Like they just seen a ghost, earn my stripes, zebra coat
Racin' to the gate but my flight gone
And now these writers takin' shots without a Nikon
But I don't fight though, figure it's a typo
Seems we in some shit now, gonna be alright though
Potion in my Sprite, then my night slows down, down (ha)
See, that's exactly what I need
My khaki's filled with cheese, my homie Sap is on the beat
Like it was "Donald Trump," a fuckin' hit but I just call it luck
They throw it on when I'm walkin' in the club
Hey, this the 'Burgh shit, I don't deserve this
Well, I don't think you lookin' far beyond the surface
Learn quick, now I'm big time
Fill your cup up, and I'ma sip mine
Fill it up with dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the sky, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
They just dreams, turn 'em to reality
Double cup of lean, standin' on my balcony
Lookin' at the street, thinkin' it could all be mine
All we got is memories, so what the fuck is time?
What the, what the fuck is time? (Ha)
Ask 'em, what the fuck is time? (I don't know)
What the fuck is time? I ask 'em, what the fuck is time?
Aight
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Thoughts From A Balcony Lyrics as written by David Bowman Neal Francis Sutherland
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
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.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.