"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.
Hello stepping stone,
Wipe that dumb look off your face.
Well, I know I can't.
A quick stab back in the face,
A hit when you're down.
See, people are disposable,
And every now and then
Find a heart and mind
That match my own,
And those are
The only ones worth pushing for.
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Well he can't see
What you do to me.
I read the lonliness on your face,
And I can really tell
You're really not okay.
See, people are disposable,
And every now and then
Find a heart and mind
That match my own,
And those are
The only ones worth pushing for.
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
There's a place in my mind,
Things are open wide,
And the last of innocence makes me wrong
Instead of right.
It's part of becoming
Accustomed to my body.
It's part of becoming
Accustomed to my body.
See, people are disposable,
And every now and then
Find a heart and mind
That match my own,
And those are
The only ones worth pushing for.
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Wipe that dumb look off your face.
Well, I know I can't.
A quick stab back in the face,
A hit when you're down.
See, people are disposable,
And every now and then
Find a heart and mind
That match my own,
And those are
The only ones worth pushing for.
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Well he can't see
What you do to me.
I read the lonliness on your face,
And I can really tell
You're really not okay.
See, people are disposable,
And every now and then
Find a heart and mind
That match my own,
And those are
The only ones worth pushing for.
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
There's a place in my mind,
Things are open wide,
And the last of innocence makes me wrong
Instead of right.
It's part of becoming
Accustomed to my body.
It's part of becoming
Accustomed to my body.
See, people are disposable,
And every now and then
Find a heart and mind
That match my own,
And those are
The only ones worth pushing for.
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Oh, please won't you try
And just hold on tonight?
Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death
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
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
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.
There are a few people that you come across in life every now and then that are worth putting effort towards. These are few and far between. So make the most of it. This song goes out to a good female friend of mine. She makes me quiver.
from someone who has only found one person who's heart and mind match her own, this song takes on meaning for me. The line "just please hold on tonight" makes me think that letting go of someone just b/c ur unsure of your feelings is the biggest mistake you may ever make.
fuck yes!! this song really makes me down about the way the only girl i ever loved treated me but makes me realise also my few close friends are worth the effort and fuck those who don't try
part of growing up involves leaving certain people behind, this song made me realize a lot of things about myself and my own "friends".