"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.
I'm sitting here and I'm all alone
the yelling keeps me company 'cause mom and dad have forgotten how to love one another
now the tensions getting thick and mommy's running out the door
I wish I had another friend besides the one in the mirror
commissioned by the love in broken homes
everything just stops when you're sitting here all alone...
I'm sitting here and I'm all alone
there's so much love in broken homes.
the yelling keeps me company 'cause mom and dad have forgotten how to love one another
now the tensions getting thick and mommy's running out the door
I wish I had another friend besides the one in the mirror
commissioned by the love in broken homes
everything just stops when you're sitting here all alone...
I'm sitting here and I'm all alone
there's so much love in broken homes.
Lyrics submitted by oofus
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
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental 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.
This song is full of so much emotion..."I wish I had another friend besides the one in the mirror..." wow that really catches you!
isn't this a sefler song? i know it's chris's old band, but still...
my god this song reminds me of when my dad left..................kinda depressing but i like it
yes it's a selfer song. it's from the original demo i think... and yea unfortunately i too can relate to how it's about how children are affected by the way their parents act. The kid in the song I all depressed because of what's going on in his house. ...yeah...
Why is it Peter's Mom? Perhap's he wishes he had Peter's Mom.
i wish sefler still was together. its awesome to listen to sefler, then go to the recernt saves the day. you can really tell they grew in their music. (lyrical and insramental) but theres still this great rawr tensity of teenage feeling in sefler. thats why u gotta love self as well as saves the day. this is my favorite sefler song
this is a great selfer song and shows how great of a writer chris can be. even at a young age he created something so great as peters mom.
is it Sefler? Or selfer?
someone explain this sefler or selfler deal please
Sefler was the band Chris had right before Saves the Day. It had most, if not all of the original Saves the Day guys in it. They changed the name though because they decided it was to weird. I believe a sefler is someone who has sex with santa, or something really weird like that. Sefler had some good stuff, but Saves the Day evolved. It really is bascially the same band. At least Sefler and the Can't Slow Down era of STD.