"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.
Let me tell you every thought that I've come to
When I think of all the things that you do
I can't see if you're the only one, it's hard to say
And I think it's all the same to me today
I can see you too
If I can just see you this one time
I sit alone everyone's at home
I see it, I believe
Somehow I know it's true
Your genetic kiss to me
I live inside of you
I have heard it said before it'll never happen
Had it drilled in since a kid it makes my head spin
I'm still looking for these thing that I can't find
Thought just come and go swirling through my mind
I see me and you
Then it's him, I'm thinking of
We sit alone, no one else at home
I taste it, I feel
And now I know it's true
Your genetic kiss reveals
I'll always be with you
Hey baby, it's you I'm thinking of
Hey baby, who do you love?
Don't worry baby, I'm watching them as you sleep
Let me whisper, some things for you to keep
There's no perfect idea
There's no perfect fate
Just little stabs of happiness
Sometimes a little too late
So keep your eyes wide open
And know what you're made of
Remember first thought, best thought
Try to stay in love
When I think of all the things that you do
I can't see if you're the only one, it's hard to say
And I think it's all the same to me today
I can see you too
If I can just see you this one time
I sit alone everyone's at home
I see it, I believe
Somehow I know it's true
Your genetic kiss to me
I live inside of you
I have heard it said before it'll never happen
Had it drilled in since a kid it makes my head spin
I'm still looking for these thing that I can't find
Thought just come and go swirling through my mind
I see me and you
Then it's him, I'm thinking of
We sit alone, no one else at home
I taste it, I feel
And now I know it's true
Your genetic kiss reveals
I'll always be with you
Hey baby, it's you I'm thinking of
Hey baby, who do you love?
Don't worry baby, I'm watching them as you sleep
Let me whisper, some things for you to keep
There's no perfect idea
There's no perfect fate
Just little stabs of happiness
Sometimes a little too late
So keep your eyes wide open
And know what you're made of
Remember first thought, best thought
Try to stay in love
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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”
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.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline ...
one of my favorite SY songs. it's too good to be a b-side...
it seems like it's a pretty straightforward love song. it's message seems to be 'seize the day, you never know what will come tomorrow'.
no one talk about Sy songs .... except us ...
i always remind of a girl listening to this song ....i even talk to her anymore ...this part of the lyrics remind me more than the rest "your genetic kiss reveals i'll always be with you "
Not quite a love song.. There's some bitterness of regret.
"First thought, best thought" was something Ginsberg believed in. In "The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg," Lee is interviewed and mentions this is where he got the line from for this song.
This is one of my favs from Dirty (and that says a lot!).
Just my opinion, but I think this song is subtly about sex. I think "genetic kiss" means the guy's load (whether it's Lee or the character the song is about, I dunno). See "Your genetic kiss to me, I'll live inside of you".
Read through the lyrics and you can pick up a few possible references. A more obvious one "Just little stabs at happiness."
to me it is either a love song talking about someone (m/f), or it could be about his child? "i live inside of you." "don't worry baby i'm watching as you sleep"... sounds like a mixture of both. the woman he loves, it's not always perfect "i see me and you / then it's him i'm thinking of" AND the child they have. confusion and love.
guess i was right :) it's about his son
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