"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.
Who lives in a house like this?
Who lives in a house like this?
In number 69 there lives a transvestite
He's a man by day
But he's a woman at night
There's a man in number 4 who swears he's Saddam Hussein
Say's he's on a chore to start
The Third World War
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
In 110 they haven't paid the rent
So there goes the TV with the
Repo men
In 999 they make a living from crime
The house is always empty 'cause they're
All doing time
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
Who lives in a house like this?
Who lives in a house like this?
In number 18 there lives a big butch queen
He's bigger than Tyson
And he's twice as mean
In 666 there lives a Mr Miller
He's our local vicar
And a serial killer
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
Who lives in a house like this?
Who lives here man?
Who lives in a house like this?
Oh they want to knock us down
'cause they think we're scum
But we will all be waiting
When the bulldozers come
In a neighbourhood like this you know
It's hard to survive
So you'd better come prepared
'cause they won't take us alive
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
Who lives in a house like this?
In number 69 there lives a transvestite
He's a man by day
But he's a woman at night
There's a man in number 4 who swears he's Saddam Hussein
Say's he's on a chore to start
The Third World War
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
In 110 they haven't paid the rent
So there goes the TV with the
Repo men
In 999 they make a living from crime
The house is always empty 'cause they're
All doing time
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
Who lives in a house like this?
Who lives in a house like this?
In number 18 there lives a big butch queen
He's bigger than Tyson
And he's twice as mean
In 666 there lives a Mr Miller
He's our local vicar
And a serial killer
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
Who lives in a house like this?
Who lives here man?
Who lives in a house like this?
Oh they want to knock us down
'cause they think we're scum
But we will all be waiting
When the bulldozers come
In a neighbourhood like this you know
It's hard to survive
So you'd better come prepared
'cause they won't take us alive
Oh if you find the time
Please come and stay a while
In my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
My neighbourhood
My-my-my beautiful neighbourhood
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
Yeah, it's about any rough and tumble inner city area - I live in one that's actually not nearly as bad as some people think - Longsight, Manchester, if anyone knows it! Outsiders may think that everyone there's lowlife, but it's not true.
Anyone out there from Brighton? I used to know Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb estates, as rough as they come, and yet some really great people as well. Respect to all that live in places society treats as rubbish tips, and yet still live with dignity.