"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.
Don't want to hang around anyone today
I'm sick of playing the same old games
'Cause I know I can't win them anyway
And I will dream a different lie
Stuck in between her thighs and wonder just when I will meet her
All I really need is someone like Phoebe
Someone to excite my fantasy
And every night I'll dream that she is here with me
And i will be the only one for her
And I'm wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine
I've been in love since the day I saw fast times
It's on a permanent rewind and can you guess my favorite part
I used to like tossing off to her pool scene
Now I'm kissing TV screens
She's the only star who's touched my heart on
All i really need is someone like Phoebe
Someone to excite my fantasy and every night I'll dream that she is here with me
And i will be the only one for her
And I'm looking for a fast time
Watching out for bright lights
Send me off to private school
When I'm with you it's paradise
Looking for a fast time
Watching out for bright lights
Send me off to private school
When I'm with you it's paradise
When I'm with you it's paradise
When I'm with you it's paradise
When I'm with you it's paradise
All I really need is someone like Phoebe
Someone to excite my fantasy and every night I'll dream that she is here with me
And I will be the only one for her
And I'm wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
I'm sick of playing the same old games
'Cause I know I can't win them anyway
And I will dream a different lie
Stuck in between her thighs and wonder just when I will meet her
All I really need is someone like Phoebe
Someone to excite my fantasy
And every night I'll dream that she is here with me
And i will be the only one for her
And I'm wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine
I've been in love since the day I saw fast times
It's on a permanent rewind and can you guess my favorite part
I used to like tossing off to her pool scene
Now I'm kissing TV screens
She's the only star who's touched my heart on
All i really need is someone like Phoebe
Someone to excite my fantasy and every night I'll dream that she is here with me
And i will be the only one for her
And I'm looking for a fast time
Watching out for bright lights
Send me off to private school
When I'm with you it's paradise
Looking for a fast time
Watching out for bright lights
Send me off to private school
When I'm with you it's paradise
When I'm with you it's paradise
When I'm with you it's paradise
When I'm with you it's paradise
All I really need is someone like Phoebe
Someone to excite my fantasy and every night I'll dream that she is here with me
And I will be the only one for her
And I'm wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Wasting time going blind thinking she'll be mine tonight
Lyrics submitted by punkmebabygal
Phoebe Cates Lyrics as written by Damon Ryan De La Paz Adam Lewis
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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
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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
He's talking about the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, i believe. An awesome awesome movie and if you watch the pool scene in it which he says is his favorite part, you'll know why. hah, an awesome movie and song.