"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.
She walked out of her house
And looked around
At all the gardens that looked
Back at her house
(Like all the faces
That quiz when you smile)
And he was standing
At the corner
Where the road turned dark
A part of shiny wet
Like blood the rain fell
Black down on the street
And kissed his feet she fell
Her head an inch away from heaven
And her face pressed tight
And all around the night sang out
Like cockatoos
"There are a thousand things" he said
"I'll never say those things to you again"
And turning on his heel
He left a trace of bubbles
Bleeding in his stead
And in her head
A picture of a boy who left her
Lonely in the rain
(And all around the night sang out like cockatoos)
And looked around
At all the gardens that looked
Back at her house
(Like all the faces
That quiz when you smile)
And he was standing
At the corner
Where the road turned dark
A part of shiny wet
Like blood the rain fell
Black down on the street
And kissed his feet she fell
Her head an inch away from heaven
And her face pressed tight
And all around the night sang out
Like cockatoos
"There are a thousand things" he said
"I'll never say those things to you again"
And turning on his heel
He left a trace of bubbles
Bleeding in his stead
And in her head
A picture of a boy who left her
Lonely in the rain
(And all around the night sang out like cockatoos)
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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.
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.
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.
it's a vicious song. anyone who has heard a cockatoo knows what a hideous screeching noise they make. and a flock of them is agonisingly loud. for a night to sing out like cockatoos would be horrible.
Yeah it seems pretty 'to the point' with the lyrics. its funny though cause only Australians or anybody living in Australia would know what a flock of cockatoos sounds like, its pretty distinct. I sought of understand what he means with the cockatoos though, that feeling you get when you've f***ed up real bad, and you feel like many voices from within you are screaming at you, telling you that you shouldn't have done it. Thats pretty similar to a flock of cockatoos.
"And kissed his feet she fell Her head an inch away from heaven And her face pressed tight ." She is on her knees, face at his crotch. She has met with her lover and performs fallatio on him. (Wanting to keep this fairly PG-13, so I won't say anything more 'vulgar' even if it is appropos) Then he basically breaks up with her and leaves. And she is only left with her memories of him with the night shrieking horribly in her ears. The first mention of the night singing out like cockatoos is probably foreshadowing (and it balances out the lyrics, with one in the middle, one at thend, too, so if it wasn't deliberate foreshadowing it worked either way). This is how I always heard the song interpreted. The girl's in love with him, she greets him hungrily, then he dumps her. It is a horribly beautiful concept. Such cruelty and beauty. I love this song, but I tend to weep after hearing it (however, there are many songs by The Cure I wind up weeping to).
Ahhh the power of human relationships and the devastating effect some of those that fail can have on us...
I think the boy is abusive to the girl, but she still loves him and is sad when he leaves. dark, sad, beautiful song.
First of all, I just signed up, to tell you my interpretation of this song. It's strange seeing all those comments from years ago.
So I think it's about a secret and abusive love.
"she walked out of her house / And looked around / At all the gardens that looked / Back at her house "
"(Like all the faces That quiz when you smile)"
Probably she is not a very happy kind of girl, so people get curious if they see her smile.
Another thought I had is, that she might was beaten and she came up with a silly story, that she laugh it all off in the end. That's usually what a person do, if someone asks, what happens... "I walked into a door, silly me... hahaha", and the others wonders.
"And he was standing At the corner Where the road turned dark"
"A part of shiny wet Like blood the rain fell Black down on the street"
"And kissed his feet she fell"
So he could mean two things in my opinion. Either
he refers to the rain, that it's kissing his feet, since it drops down (rather unlikely) or
He means she is kissing his feet. Since in some cultures it's a sign for worshipping someone special/holy. (rather likely). But it's not like, she is acually on the ground kissing his feet, I think it's just the metaphor to show the listener, how much value he has for her.
"She fell" it's also a metaphor for a sloppy excuse if someone was beaten."What happened to you?", "Oh I fell". He probably beat her shortly after she arrived.
"Her head an inch away from heaven And her face pressed tight"
She probably just fell an inch away from the corner of the curb, which could indicate her death, if she fell on it. (Her head an inch away from heaven)
She received a brutal wound, that let her head feels heavy, like somone is pressing it tight. (And her face pressed tight).
""There are a thousand things" he said "I'll never say those things to you again" And turning on his heel"
"He left a trace of bubbles Bleeding in his stead"
The bubbles refer to her dreams, that now start to burst.
Her blood runs over the curb, where he stands a second ago, from the wound she received by hitting the curb. (Bleeding in his stead)
"And in her head A picture of a boy who left her Lonely in the rain"
"And all around the night sang out Like cockatoos"
If my english sounds a bit off, then sry. I'm actuallly no native speaker. Seeing all those comments from years ago, give me the feeling, that mine will also be read in a few years for the first time. But I hope this interpretation will help you to get a sense for this song. I don't know, if I'm right... I only know, that I love this song, even though I never was in a situation like that. Well... mentally we were all in such a situation.
Good night.
@SleepyVic Well, I signed up to tell you WOW (never mind that this was written three years ago)
i love this song. i dont think there is a lot to it though.. its clearly about some kind of parting in a relationship.. but for me its more about the mood...the imagery... its dream-likeness. i could be wrong. perhaps there are some references and allusions im not sure about....
The song is self-explanatory so I get the lack of comments on this song. It's really sad though, she doesn't want to let go but I think her happiness is "fake" because what I get out of: "Like all the faces That quiz when you smile... " is people don't either believe her happiness or the guys happiness in the relationship. Needless to say he doesn't feel the same way anymore, and well left her there.
She's remembering. He's dead, hence the blood and all the words he can't say anymore. The gardens looking back are about all the good folk adding sympathy