"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 alright 'cause the historical pattern has shown
How the economical cycle tends to revolve
In a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
A slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
Bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
Huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
You see the recovery always comes 'round again
There's nothing to worry for things will look after themselves
It's alright recovery always comes 'round again
There's nothing to worry if things can only get better
There's only millions that lose their jobs and homes and sometimes accents
There's only millions that die in their bloody wars, it's alright
It's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
It's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
It's alright 'cause the historical pattern has shown
How the economical cycle tends to revolve
In a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
A slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
Bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
Huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
Don't worry be happy things will get better naturally
Don't worry shut up sit down go with it and be happy
Dumb, dumb, dumb, de dumb dumb, de duh de duh de dumb dumb dum... ah ah
Dumb, dumb, dumb, de dumb dumb, de duh de duh de dumb dumb dum... ah ah
How the economical cycle tends to revolve
In a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
A slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
Bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
Huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
You see the recovery always comes 'round again
There's nothing to worry for things will look after themselves
It's alright recovery always comes 'round again
There's nothing to worry if things can only get better
There's only millions that lose their jobs and homes and sometimes accents
There's only millions that die in their bloody wars, it's alright
It's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
It's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
It's alright 'cause the historical pattern has shown
How the economical cycle tends to revolve
In a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
A slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
Bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
Huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
Don't worry be happy things will get better naturally
Don't worry shut up sit down go with it and be happy
Dumb, dumb, dumb, de dumb dumb, de duh de duh de dumb dumb dum... ah ah
Dumb, dumb, dumb, de dumb dumb, de duh de duh de dumb dumb dum... ah ah
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
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.
What a nice pop song, and its about the failures of capitalist society.
@matthewsheffield <br /> "the failures of capitalist society"<br /> socialism = economic chaos, anarchy of production, shortages, waiting lines, hoarding, rationing, aristocratic privilege for leaders, mass misery for masses, tyranny, totalitarian dictatorship, exploitation, forced/slave labor, terrorism, mass murder, mass impoverishment, black markets<br /> <br /> statist central planning + narrow statist political incentives and decisions + statist bureaucratic management + state ownership & state control + statist monopoly = shortages + economic chaos + destruction + inefficiencies + waste + malinvestment + capital decumulation = disaster & catastrophe & misery <br /> <br />
yep!
Pop anthem for a nation sliding into decadence and economic chaos. The Weimar republic. Spain before the Civil War. Greece right now. Polarization and despair. Bush did it to us. Obama did it worse. They all play dialectic/consensus to keep themselves in power.No hope in leaders from the professional political class. They have altogether become worthless. Laissez-Faire military-industrial fascism.
No hope apart from divine intervention. Ping Pong. Thesis vs. Antithesis = Entropy Good luck and good night...
@NomadMonad You had me at "Entropy"
The great irony is that poor economies all across the globe are the result of socialism, not capitalism.
Take a look at Greece, Spain, etc.
They are all socialist countires.
The capitalist countries are doing much better. Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand.
@JamesLove Those countries are struggling at the moment due to the GFC, which is exactly what this songs about- bigger crashes etc. I actually know people who've moved from Singapore because of the relentless and exhausting work hours. The countries that seem to prosper best have careful mixed the two. I'd rather be an ordinary person in Finland or France than Hong Kong. BTW Australia in common with NZ & Switzerland have considerable government intervention and support for the population- what Americans would probably call "socialism".
@JamesLove <br /> The GFC was caused by government intervention. For example, the United States made the politically correct by intellectually incorrect move of forcing banks to deadbeats. The deadbeats predictably defaulted. The idiotic socialist naturally blamed the banks.<br /> <br /> Singapore is in much better financial shape than Finland and France which are bankrupt.<br /> While Australia, NZ and Switzerland have government intervention, they have less than the US and considerably less problems than the socialist darling countries of Europe such as Greece.<br /> <br /> As for the Scandinavian countries that Bernie Sanders loves:<br /> 1) They were better off decades ago before they went socialist.<br /> 2) Scandinavians are much better off in countries (such as the US) that more are free market orientated than Scandinavia. How many poor people of Scandinavian descent do you see in the US?<br /> 3) The demographics in the US are completely different than Scandinavia. Blacks and Spanish suck off the government tit more than people of Scandinavian descent. Blacks and Spanish are nowhere near as common in Scandinavian countries.<br /> <br /> So Bernie Sanders Scandinavian fantasy is just that...fantasy. Socialists are nothing more than lazy thieves stealing from hard working productive people. The doers simply leave those countries and go elsewhere.
@JamesLove Fair enough, point made. Now run along like a good capitalist and listen to Justin Bieber, Kanye or some such.
I love their lyrics, their existence is a oxymoron: a, essentially, pop band that experimented... A band with critic lyrics that sounds pop.
The Socialist Dream Country of Venezuela:
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3595946/No-electricity-no-antibiotics-no-beds-no-soap-devastating-look-inside-Venezuela-s-crisis-struck-hospitals-7-babies-die-day-bleeding-patients-lie-strewn-floor-doctors-try-operate-without-tools.html
the breadth and depths of peoples world knowledge continuse to stun me.