"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.
Saw a bird with a tear in his eye
Walking to New Orleans, my oh my
Hey, now, bird, wouldn't you rather die than
Walk this world when you're born to fly?
If I was the sun, I'd look for shade
If I was a bed, I would stay unmade
If I was a river I'd run uphill
If you call me you know I will
And if you call me you know I will
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
Say what I mean and I don't give a damn
I do believe and I am who I am
Hey now mama come take my hand
Whole lotta shakin' all over this land
If I was an eagle, I'd dress like a duck
Crawl like a lizard and honk like a truck
If I get a notion I'll climb this tree
Or chop it down and you can't stop me
Oh, chop it down and you can't stop me
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
Went to the well but the water was dry
Dipped my bucket in the clear blue sky
Looked in the bottom and what did I see?
The whole damned world looking back at me
If I was a bottle, I'd spill for love
Sake of mercy I would kill for love
If I was a liar I'd lie for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
I'm gonna find my own way home
I'm gonna find my own way home
Walking to New Orleans, my oh my
Hey, now, bird, wouldn't you rather die than
Walk this world when you're born to fly?
If I was the sun, I'd look for shade
If I was a bed, I would stay unmade
If I was a river I'd run uphill
If you call me you know I will
And if you call me you know I will
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
Say what I mean and I don't give a damn
I do believe and I am who I am
Hey now mama come take my hand
Whole lotta shakin' all over this land
If I was an eagle, I'd dress like a duck
Crawl like a lizard and honk like a truck
If I get a notion I'll climb this tree
Or chop it down and you can't stop me
Oh, chop it down and you can't stop me
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
Went to the well but the water was dry
Dipped my bucket in the clear blue sky
Looked in the bottom and what did I see?
The whole damned world looking back at me
If I was a bottle, I'd spill for love
Sake of mercy I would kill for love
If I was a liar I'd lie for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love
Sake of my baby I'd die for love
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
To find my own way home
Ooh, freedom
Ooh, liberty
Oh, leave me alone
To find my own way home
I'm gonna find my own way home
I'm gonna find my own way home
Lyrics submitted by itsmyownmind
Liberty [Live] Lyrics as written by Robert Hunter
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
My favorite Dead song from their later days. Needs no interpretation, but feel free to do so.
Love this song too. Sometimes at night, when I'm alone and drunk, I put it on repeat and dance for hours. lol. <br /> <br /> I think it needs a lot of interpretation though. For example, take these words: <br /> <br /> "Dipped my bucket in the clear blue sky / Looked in the bottom and what did I see? / Whole damn world looking back at me." <br /> <br /> I think this must be a metaphore. I don't think Garcia or Hunter wrote or sang any lyrics that were meant to be taken literally. Every line has a deeper meaning. <br /> <br /> The lines I quoted may mean that sometimes when you go to look for something in life, you will be disappointed, you may fail or you may come up with nothing in your bucket but the clear blue sky. But in doing so, you may find that you have realized something much bigger or gained something much greater than the thing you originally sought. <br /> <br /> This is just how I see it though, I would be interested to read what other people think . . .
Please sign me up for your newsletter ShesGone. Peace.