"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's the Roc! Wooo!
Nike Airs is right (check)
My bucket is low (check)
My Rocawear is fittin' incredible
Fuck it, I guess I got my swagger back
Mama, they said I killed a man
Well, I guess I got the dagger back
It's the Roc bastards, we are back
In the heezy
Jigga Man, B Siegs and M-Easy (what up, fam?)
Oschino and Sparks and Freeweezy (holla!)
Mickey, Mallory, Chris and Neef, hey!
All I need is the love of my crew
The whole industry can hate me, I thugged my way through
And all I need is a chick that hold a jammy
Like Meth and Mary, like Marvin and Tammi, uhh
Now understands we can't be stopped
From blowin' Swisher Sweets outta candy drops
Like we underground kings, ridin' dirty
A nigga been focused since I said hi to 30 (what up?)
Young niggas, y'all can't hurt me
Better watch and observe me
And learn how to earn better, I burn cheddar
I set fire to your empire
I blow smoke in your face, burn rubber off of rim tires
Yes I ah, Jay I ah
Double G-A, livewire nigga, holla back!
All I need
Rocawear (check)
Nike Airs (check)
Mean bucket (uh huh)
Armadale in the club, couple of duckets (yeah)
Couple chicks by my side, let's ride
All I need
That new coupe (got that)
A do-rag and a pocket full of loot (got those)
A sunny day some chicks that wanna play
And I'll be on my way
Come on, now
All I need in this world of sin
Is me and my girlfriend! (ha ha)
I got a little two-two, I call her Peggy Sue
When I'm off in the club she fit right in my shoe (wooo!)
Gotta switch her to my waist, just in case (uh huh)
A clown wanna flip, gotta reach for my bitch
Ya wanna act out a movie, I could give you a clip (buck!)
But no ad-libbin', nigga, stick to the script
Now all I need is a high-priced lawyer
'Cause it's foul ways nowadays, everybody saw you
And they comin' to court too, I thought you knew
Can't even steal on a nigga, muh'fuckas will sue
In this time and age, what's a real muh'fucka to do
When I'm surrounded by squeal muh'fuckas like you?
But real niggas don't fret 'cause the number one crew
R to the O to the C comin' true
All I need
Rocawear (check)
Nike Airs (check)
Mean bucket (uh huh)
Armadale in the club, couple of duckets (yeah)
Couple chicks by my side, let's ride
All I need
That new coupe (got that)
A do-rag and a pocket full of loot (got those)
A sunny day some chicks that wanna play
And I'll be on my way
Listen
The cream too long, my team too strong
Bleek is too hot, Beans is gone
Y'all niggas in the crosshair, the beams is on (see y'all)
Y'all whole block deserted, y'all fiends are gone (bye bye!)
The whole Roc is jumpin', we reached our zenith
Got fiends throwin' up on themself like Willy Beamen (hehe hehe)
Any given Sunday gunplay's optional
However niggas want it like Soul II Soul (however do you waant it)
Whoever got hops get blocked, go to the hole
Dikembe Mutumbo of this rap shit
Plus the jab is sick, and it's Zab quick
Left hand'll lean 'em like a little past six
Now run along wit'cha little-ass hits
Read my rap sheet, nigga: three classics!
Shut your bumba', I've got A-Rod numbers
All you muddaskunks get buried in the trunk
When I blast the pump
I leave you relaxed in the hospital, lookin' at M-A-S-H for months
Then I dumps dough on the D.A. desk
And flee scot-free and pee-pee on the steps
He's got no respect, no law or governin'
Why you fuckin' with him?
Matter fact, why you fuckin' with them?
All y'all need is the R-O-C, baby
All I need
Rocawear (check)
Nike Airs (right)
Mean bucket (check)
Armadale in the club, couple of duckets (yeah)
Couple chicks by my side, let's ride
All I need
That new coupe (got that)
A do-rag and a pocket full of loot (got those)
A sunny day some chicks that wanna play
And I'll be on my way
Listen
(All I need)
Roc-A-Fella Records
Freeway, Oschino and Sparks, Chris & Neef
(All I need)
Mickey and Mallory
Broad Street Bully
M-Extra Money, ha
Young! (All I need) H to the izzo
Clue, Rell
Uh-huh, yeah, yeah
(All I need)
Nike Airs is right (check)
My bucket is low (check)
My Rocawear is fittin' incredible
Fuck it, I guess I got my swagger back
Mama, they said I killed a man
Well, I guess I got the dagger back
It's the Roc bastards, we are back
In the heezy
Jigga Man, B Siegs and M-Easy (what up, fam?)
Oschino and Sparks and Freeweezy (holla!)
Mickey, Mallory, Chris and Neef, hey!
All I need is the love of my crew
The whole industry can hate me, I thugged my way through
And all I need is a chick that hold a jammy
Like Meth and Mary, like Marvin and Tammi, uhh
Now understands we can't be stopped
From blowin' Swisher Sweets outta candy drops
Like we underground kings, ridin' dirty
A nigga been focused since I said hi to 30 (what up?)
Young niggas, y'all can't hurt me
Better watch and observe me
And learn how to earn better, I burn cheddar
I set fire to your empire
I blow smoke in your face, burn rubber off of rim tires
Yes I ah, Jay I ah
Double G-A, livewire nigga, holla back!
All I need
Rocawear (check)
Nike Airs (check)
Mean bucket (uh huh)
Armadale in the club, couple of duckets (yeah)
Couple chicks by my side, let's ride
All I need
That new coupe (got that)
A do-rag and a pocket full of loot (got those)
A sunny day some chicks that wanna play
And I'll be on my way
Come on, now
All I need in this world of sin
Is me and my girlfriend! (ha ha)
I got a little two-two, I call her Peggy Sue
When I'm off in the club she fit right in my shoe (wooo!)
Gotta switch her to my waist, just in case (uh huh)
A clown wanna flip, gotta reach for my bitch
Ya wanna act out a movie, I could give you a clip (buck!)
But no ad-libbin', nigga, stick to the script
Now all I need is a high-priced lawyer
'Cause it's foul ways nowadays, everybody saw you
And they comin' to court too, I thought you knew
Can't even steal on a nigga, muh'fuckas will sue
In this time and age, what's a real muh'fucka to do
When I'm surrounded by squeal muh'fuckas like you?
But real niggas don't fret 'cause the number one crew
R to the O to the C comin' true
All I need
Rocawear (check)
Nike Airs (check)
Mean bucket (uh huh)
Armadale in the club, couple of duckets (yeah)
Couple chicks by my side, let's ride
All I need
That new coupe (got that)
A do-rag and a pocket full of loot (got those)
A sunny day some chicks that wanna play
And I'll be on my way
Listen
The cream too long, my team too strong
Bleek is too hot, Beans is gone
Y'all niggas in the crosshair, the beams is on (see y'all)
Y'all whole block deserted, y'all fiends are gone (bye bye!)
The whole Roc is jumpin', we reached our zenith
Got fiends throwin' up on themself like Willy Beamen (hehe hehe)
Any given Sunday gunplay's optional
However niggas want it like Soul II Soul (however do you waant it)
Whoever got hops get blocked, go to the hole
Dikembe Mutumbo of this rap shit
Plus the jab is sick, and it's Zab quick
Left hand'll lean 'em like a little past six
Now run along wit'cha little-ass hits
Read my rap sheet, nigga: three classics!
Shut your bumba', I've got A-Rod numbers
All you muddaskunks get buried in the trunk
When I blast the pump
I leave you relaxed in the hospital, lookin' at M-A-S-H for months
Then I dumps dough on the D.A. desk
And flee scot-free and pee-pee on the steps
He's got no respect, no law or governin'
Why you fuckin' with him?
Matter fact, why you fuckin' with them?
All y'all need is the R-O-C, baby
All I need
Rocawear (check)
Nike Airs (right)
Mean bucket (check)
Armadale in the club, couple of duckets (yeah)
Couple chicks by my side, let's ride
All I need
That new coupe (got that)
A do-rag and a pocket full of loot (got those)
A sunny day some chicks that wanna play
And I'll be on my way
Listen
(All I need)
Roc-A-Fella Records
Freeway, Oschino and Sparks, Chris & Neef
(All I need)
Mickey and Mallory
Broad Street Bully
M-Extra Money, ha
Young! (All I need) H to the izzo
Clue, Rell
Uh-huh, yeah, yeah
(All I need)
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
All I Need Lyrics as written by Torrey D Carter Roosevelt Harrell
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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/
"Mickey and Mallory" are the names of the two main characters of Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers."