"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.
All aboard ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay
Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love
And forget how to hate
Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
Let's go
I've listened to preachers
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role
Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words, yeah, yeah
Heirs of a cold war
That's what we've become
Inheriting troubles, I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair
Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay
Crazy, but that's how it goes
Millions of people living as foes
Maybe it's not too late
To learn how to love
And forget how to hate
Mental wounds not healing
Life's a bitter shame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
Let's go
I've listened to preachers
I've listened to fools
I've watched all the dropouts
Who make their own rules
One person conditioned to rule and control
The media sells it and you live the role
Mental wounds still screaming
Driving me insane
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I know that things are going wrong for me
You gotta listen to my words, yeah, yeah
Heirs of a cold war
That's what we've become
Inheriting troubles, I'm mentally numb
Crazy, I just cannot bear
I'm living with something that just isn't fair
Mental wounds not healing
Who and what's to blame
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
I'm going off the rails on a crazy train
Lyrics submitted by A-PuNKRoCK-FReaK, edited by LHGL
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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
I beleive it's Rhoads?
And yeah, one of the fastest guitar players I've ever heard.
Ozzy always has kick ass guitar players.
Yep You are very right on the spelling. There is a person named Randi Rhodes, but that person is a female comedian.
The meaning of this song is as this...."crazy but thats how it goes" means life is crazy, "millions of people living as foes" means there are lots of people with a burning rage inside that want to do evil....ozzy is right about learning to love and forgetting about hate but he was out of his FCKING mind like i was. "Mental wounds not healing" means anxiety or depression or hearing voices in his head, was not going away. "im going off the rails on a crazy train" i felt that at a point in my life when i called satan and his demons to show me what they look like and this song describes some of what it felt like but doesnt even hit the tip of the iceberg......................"i've listened to preachers" he listened to preachers to try and get help from the burning rage of evil. then he says one person to rule and control, that would be the president. "the media sells it and you live the role" they sell cds and ppl try to be like the artists. "mental wounds still screaming" his mind was going out of control, reminds me of myself when i heard voices from demons telling me to burn stuff and visions and dreams i had and seeing demons in real life was the most horrible sight. "driving me insane" thats anxiety but he does not admit it was demons driving him insane. "heirs of a cold war" means battling against the demons "inheriting troubles im mentally numb" means the first sin carried over to now his mind is unmoving in not wanting knowledge and i felt the same way at one point when the burning rage was almost too much to bear.........."who and whats to blame" means satan and his demons are to blame. "im going off the rails on a crazy train" i feel that.
stop reading satan into everything! lighten up dude, I think it is a song about not having control of his life and career. Remember at the time (1979ish), Sharon had to buy her father out of his management, anyway thats my interpretation<br />
I love this song
"...learn how to love And forget how to hate" Is the Osbournes theme song, lol...its funny
This song is about a lot of things. But mainly he talks about the main objective of the Illuminati. For those of you who don't know who the Illuminati is, WAKE UP! They are a group of elite that run the world. The main way that they make sure that thier agenda is completed is by controlling the media. Ozzy talks largely about this in this song.
"One person conditioned to rule and control The media sells it and you live the role"
This line is so blatantly clear, I don't think it needs explanation.
"Mental wounds still screaming Driving me insane I'm going off the rails on a crazy train"
The media often tries to depict individuals that speak out against the Illuminati as crazy or insane. Ozzy is talking about how when this song goes public, he will be going down that path of craziness and how he knows that he will always have this image now.
"Millions of people living as foes Maybe it's not too late To learn how to love And forget how to hate"
Here is where he talks about the actual agenda of the Illuminati. Ever heard of the phrase "divide and conquer"? They are trying to turn everyone against each other with discrimination. But if we could all just get along, and love one another we could fight the power!
Most of you reading this probably think I myself have gone off the deep end. but I challenge you to just start looking into the the Illuminati. and you will be amazed. It is so much bigger then we are, but there is strength in numbers. Spread the word! Don't give into the system, people!
You haven't gone off the deep end. You have just accepted without question one of the oldest urban legends in world history. I should know, as I have been studying conspiracy theory and the alleged Illuminati for over ten years. While it makes for an interesting song interpretation, it also demonstrates an inability to take the world for what it is. There is no grand conspiracy by anyone, including the so-called Illuminati. Thanks for a fun read, though!
Marissa93 you are right on! I love this song for its genious and simple truth that people are being mislead by the mystery of iniquity that drives people to do the edge, promotes mental disorders, and sets to divide, confuse and mask the real problem.<br /> <br /> Uriahok, its interesting that you have been stuying conspiracy facts for so long and do not see the classical condition of society. You do not offer a rebundle expect your own opinion. Please be intellectually honest in your reponse to such a crucial topic where billions of people on this earth are subject to dictators, mass media and false doctrines. Many of which are not needed to be controlled because they are simply owned corporations or institutions of the elite. Noam Chomsky clearly articulates it and so do does the historical revolutions, and even Julius Cesaer point to a powerful people willing to the all the way with their plan. Dont be deceived, the bible is the ultimate book that shows how the powerful spiritual authorities (ephesians 6) have dominian over large areas of the world by invitation, rejection of God and by oppression. Look at the 10-40 window, Daniel 9 and the prince of persia. Jesus is lord and has allowed the devil to have dominian for a short time.
Real Ozzy fans know about his struggle with his demons, medication and his spiritual oppression. Pray for him he has crosses in his house because he believes they have power to keep him safe. If anyone really knows ozzy they would understand by his one song that explains it all. Mr. Crowley. A rare historical figure that is never taught in school because of the depth and truth that would be unveiled. But that is the nature of the art of war.
I think you went off the rails on a crazy train bro
the guitar solo is a riff from the theme song for the movie holloween. listen very carefully and you will dig what i'm saying. besides slipnot.... i am gonna say this as nice as possible..... but i dont understand what the fuck you just said, i caught pieces of it, but i got lost when you started to explain about your uncle, you jump through different topics, when writing a sentence.
youre so right about the halloween theme song thing... i cant beleive i never noticed that!
This is an Ozzy classic! A great song! I heard that Ozzy visited a sick fan, but the dude couldn't speak. So instead, he wrote on a peice of paper what is now the lyrics to Crazy Train. The song is mostly about forgetting about war and turn to peace, and the "mental wounds not healing" part is the fan's mental pain, "living witn something he doesn't want to share."
This song is probably one of the greatest songs ever, period. It's basically about religious wars.
I agree with Zoltan in 2005 When he said that . "I think that ozzy is saying in this song is that society finds those who do good weird.
" to learn how to love and ferget how to hate"
that person must b going off the rails
to b our own person not to follow wut society/the media says"
Because People who Do try and enforce the spectrum of "Love" as Ozzy uses in dozens of his songs, and also says it after almost every song at live shows "I love you all" Ozzy is just as messed up as me in the head.. thinking about how people Just BELIEVE what the TELEVISION tells you. And how corrupt our government is, as well as other governments worldwide.
None of you guys got this right. This song is about cocaine. He talks about how people talk and talk, theres things that are so bad in this world, the only thing that will help is "going off the rails on the crazy train". Cocaine will make you go crazy when you do too much of it.
This was during the time when he was getting off the drugs and thought this song was relevant to what he was going through.
The song is about eminence grise!
All of these comments over the years, yet only TWO people got it right... it IS entirely about the Cold War. Really, I promise.
@Blackcoog Precisely!