"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.
Yeah...oh yeah.
I can show you the world.
Shining shimmering splendid.
Tell me princess now when did you last let your heart decide.
I can open your eyes.
Take you wonder by wonder.
Over sideways and under on a magic carpet ride.
A whole new world.
A new fantastic point of view.
No one to tell us no or where to go or say we're only dreaming.
A whole new world.
A dazzling place I never knew.
But now from way up here it's crystal clear that now I'm in a whole new world with you.
Unbelievable sights.
Indescribable feeling.
Soaring, tumbling, free-wheeling.
Through an endless diamond sky.
A whole new world.
[Nick:] Don't you dare close your eyes.
[Jessica:] A hundred thousand things to see.
[Nick:] Hold your breath, it gets better.
[Both:] I'm like a shooting star.
I've come so far.
[Jessica:] I can't go back to where I used to be.
([Nick:] A whole new world.)
[Nick:] With new horizons to pursue.
[Both:] I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare.
[Nick:] Let me share this whole new world with you.
[Jessica:] Oh a whole new world.
A new fantastic point of view.
[Both:] No one to tell us no or where to go
[Jessica:] or say we're only dreaming.
([Nick:] A whole new world)
(jessica)Every turn a surprise.
[Nick:] With new horizons to pursue.
([Jessica:] Every moment red letter.)
[Both:] I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare.
Let me share,
This whole new world with you.
[Nick:] A whole new world.
(jessica)a whole new world.
(nick)thats where well be.
[Jessica:] That's where we'll be.
[nick] A thrilling chase.
[jessica:] A wonderous place.
[Both:] For you and...me.
I can show you the world.
Shining shimmering splendid.
Tell me princess now when did you last let your heart decide.
I can open your eyes.
Take you wonder by wonder.
Over sideways and under on a magic carpet ride.
A whole new world.
A new fantastic point of view.
No one to tell us no or where to go or say we're only dreaming.
A whole new world.
A dazzling place I never knew.
But now from way up here it's crystal clear that now I'm in a whole new world with you.
Unbelievable sights.
Indescribable feeling.
Soaring, tumbling, free-wheeling.
Through an endless diamond sky.
A whole new world.
[Nick:] Don't you dare close your eyes.
[Jessica:] A hundred thousand things to see.
[Nick:] Hold your breath, it gets better.
[Both:] I'm like a shooting star.
I've come so far.
[Jessica:] I can't go back to where I used to be.
([Nick:] A whole new world.)
[Nick:] With new horizons to pursue.
[Both:] I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare.
[Nick:] Let me share this whole new world with you.
[Jessica:] Oh a whole new world.
A new fantastic point of view.
[Both:] No one to tell us no or where to go
[Jessica:] or say we're only dreaming.
([Nick:] A whole new world)
(jessica)Every turn a surprise.
[Nick:] With new horizons to pursue.
([Jessica:] Every moment red letter.)
[Both:] I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare.
Let me share,
This whole new world with you.
[Nick:] A whole new world.
(jessica)a whole new world.
(nick)thats where well be.
[Jessica:] That's where we'll be.
[nick] A thrilling chase.
[jessica:] A wonderous place.
[Both:] For you and...me.
Lyrics submitted by pixiedust133
A Whole New World Lyrics as written by Tim Rice Alan Menken
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company
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
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.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
komodosp i don't know what the heck your smoking.
1.) she was in fact a princess so him calling her "princess" seems fitting and in no way derogatory
2.)When did you last let your heart decide. aladdin is asking her when was the last time that she did something because she felt it was right and not what was expected of her because of her being high society.
3.)he is telling her that she is her own entity with the power of free will
4.)Jasmine for the first time is seeing true beauty in nature and realizing that the beauty of nature is as precious as diamonds.
5.)In all classic literature, and in literature still today though not as prevalent, the color red was symbolic of lust, not just sexual lust, in this case the lust is that of forbidden love. read the scarlet letter, you might learn something
@thefist <br /> <br /> I agree with you .
more like A WHOLE NEW WORLD ORDER.
@Mode000 <br /> <br /> Same thoughts and so cool 😌 😊
defineately about sex, you just gotta approach it from the right angle
This song is about falling in love, possibly for the first time. From the girl's point of view, she's never felt like this. And her whole life she's been waiting for someone to take her away. The guy, on the other hand, has found this wonderful girl and he just wants to make her happy. Saying, "I can take you anywhere you want to go." And together, they're perfect.
Aladdin is probably my favorite Disney movie. I've replayed this part in the movie, hundreds of times! Last year for one of our Choir Concerts me and about eight other people, boys & girls. We sounded awesome. The arrangement we did had a beautiful harmony.
There's only one part in the song that I'm confused about. "Every moment red letter." What does that exactly mean? When I was younger I always thought it was, "Every moment get's better." Which makes alot more sense. But I don't know.
-linds
@ohitstragikX <br /> <br /> I used to think so too.
BAHAHA that song has sex written all over it.
@princessKATIE <br /> <br /> 🖕
This song was not meant to be in a children's movie as it is about the highs of Opium addiction. Aladdin "turns-on" princess Jasmine to opium. The Sumerian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Minoan, Greek, Roman, and Persian Empires each made widespread use of opium, which was the most potent form of pain relief then available, allowing ancient surgeons to perform prolonged surgical procedures. Needless to say it was (and still is) used for recreational use. While the actual images displayed in the movie while the song is playing are benign, the lyrics little little room to doubt the subject. "Unbelievable highs, indescribable feelings" is just one of the lyrics that Disney so recklessly put into this movie intended for children. The blantent reference to opium is astounding. While a part of Middle Eastern culture for millenia, Disney should have more sense and a bit more courtesy.
I love how whenever someone thinks a song is about anything other than love, their subjective opinions are automatically considered being completely wrong.
Isn't that what this site is all about? Expressing your personal opinions regarding the underlying meaning(s) of a song?
Bluewanka4fun and komodosp aren't more wrong than anyone else.
Me, I think this song is totally about sex. To me it's obvious.
Can ANYONE just look through the eyes of a kid for ONE SECOND and listen to the voices and the lyrics of this song WITHOUT their mind in the GUTTER?
For one thing, this is from a KID'S movie, and no matter what you think of Disney, it is age appropriate as long as you stay simplistic enough to have a literal view in your mind. We all have our own opinions, but honestly, let's be realistic here. Its because of people who think like this, thinking with a dirty and tainted mind, that the world can be as scary as it is. Did you notice how naive Jasmine is as she follows this stranger from the MARKETPLACE to his HOUSE? No one would ever do that anymore due to people wanting to take advantage of others. Not everyone thinks like you do, and maybe, just MAYBE, they didn't mean that much when they were saying a whole new world? Try to at least get your minds up from the dirt that society is sinking in and wash yourself off with some water.
You all are entitled to your own opinions and its in the eyes of the beholder here, but seriously, lets try to use some common sense and figure out that if they are playing this movie AND the song within it on DISNEY JUNIOR, where they still play shows like Winnie the Pooh, that this just may not be the real meaning.
Woah.... looking back at this... I musta flipped my lid... ^^;<br /> <br /> Sorry for anyone who read that and felt offended or anything... I feel offended myself just reading that! Sorry, I'm really a calm person and I didn't mean anything like that. I totally shot down everyone's opinion which wasn't what I wanted to do.<br /> Like, at all.<br /> ^^<br /> Though, I still think that Jasmine is totally naive. XD That has nothing to do with the song, but she's following a stranger to his house...<br /> Creepy!<br /> XD<br /> Sorry again. I didn't mean to come off that way... ^^;
@Melodance <br /> <br /> It's okay.I also think that.
ahhh...sigh how romantic.
@ashi 😊🤣😅
This song is the best i have ever heard. A dream, romance, and perfect love story rolled into one song.