"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 just so happens I have many conerns
My brother's down the road and my lover in town
They both need affection
And some kind of love
Well I'm the one who gives it at any given time
From two in the morning to six
Call me up and cry
My lover keeps it secret that we meet under covers
When asked by her man if we two are lovers
She says, "I hardly know him.
Besides, he's not my type."
Her man's a policeman with a keen sense of trouble
He's known just by danger
And all kinds of liars
Brother called this morning in a terrible panic
Spies in the closet, bugs in the attic
He screams bloody murder saying,
"We're all gonna die.
Death is upon me, I know 'cause he showed me
Pictures of graveyards and us underneath."
I'm losing my hearing from my brother screaming,
"They're coming to get me and
Someone call the police."
Two in the morning, the phone disconnected
Her man knows I'm calling, it's what I expected
A note on my backdoor saying, "Baby not tonight."
So I sit with my brother who is nursing a cut wrist
He's mumbling "Forgive me."
And "Don't let them take me away."
I can be a good boy and stay out of trouble
Jackie I love you and
Don't let them take your brother
Strapped to a table, go in electrodes
"Jackie come save me the doctors will kill me."
"No, they're here to help you
Straighten out your mind."
The TV is blaring with some preacher saying that
God is among us and he hears our cries
Lord, do me a favor
It's wrong but I ask you
Take my brother's life
'Cause he's sick of the suffering
The pills he's inhaling
The cross he is bearing
That is his trouble mind
My brother's down the road and my lover in town
They both need affection
And some kind of love
Well I'm the one who gives it at any given time
From two in the morning to six
Call me up and cry
My lover keeps it secret that we meet under covers
When asked by her man if we two are lovers
She says, "I hardly know him.
Besides, he's not my type."
Her man's a policeman with a keen sense of trouble
He's known just by danger
And all kinds of liars
Brother called this morning in a terrible panic
Spies in the closet, bugs in the attic
He screams bloody murder saying,
"We're all gonna die.
Death is upon me, I know 'cause he showed me
Pictures of graveyards and us underneath."
I'm losing my hearing from my brother screaming,
"They're coming to get me and
Someone call the police."
Two in the morning, the phone disconnected
Her man knows I'm calling, it's what I expected
A note on my backdoor saying, "Baby not tonight."
So I sit with my brother who is nursing a cut wrist
He's mumbling "Forgive me."
And "Don't let them take me away."
I can be a good boy and stay out of trouble
Jackie I love you and
Don't let them take your brother
Strapped to a table, go in electrodes
"Jackie come save me the doctors will kill me."
"No, they're here to help you
Straighten out your mind."
The TV is blaring with some preacher saying that
God is among us and he hears our cries
Lord, do me a favor
It's wrong but I ask you
Take my brother's life
'Cause he's sick of the suffering
The pills he's inhaling
The cross he is bearing
That is his trouble mind
Lyrics submitted by DesignedToHide, edited by jodallas
Medication Lyrics as written by Damien Jurado
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.
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
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."
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."
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.
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.
"He's known to spot danger And all kinds of liars"