"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.
And I
I wonder if you'd understand
If I said I'll never go never go along again
And if I told you all that I believe in
And gave you my reasons and always had an answer
An honest answer for all of them
Sometimes you just want to belong
At any loss or any cost
Yeah I've
I've made mistakes before
But I just can't seem to remember them anymore
And I've followed everyone's lead before
And I've made my own decisions
And I've never felt so strong before
I've never felt so strong before
Sometimes you just want to belong
At any loss or any cost
Sometimes your best defence is a good reminder
Of your common sense
Strike a match and hope it lasts
Here's to following your own lead
It's the path that I have taken
After all the contemplation
It's the promise I have made
I hope it lasts
I wonder if you'd understand
If I said I'll never go never go along again
And if I told you all that I believe in
And gave you my reasons and always had an answer
An honest answer for all of them
Sometimes you just want to belong
At any loss or any cost
Yeah I've
I've made mistakes before
But I just can't seem to remember them anymore
And I've followed everyone's lead before
And I've made my own decisions
And I've never felt so strong before
I've never felt so strong before
Sometimes you just want to belong
At any loss or any cost
Sometimes your best defence is a good reminder
Of your common sense
Strike a match and hope it lasts
Here's to following your own lead
It's the path that I have taken
After all the contemplation
It's the promise I have made
I hope it lasts
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
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.
"Sometimes, you just want to belong" - nuff said for the problem in this song. But this isn't just approaching the problem, it offers a solution!
"I've made my own decisions, And I've never felt so strong before" "Sometimes your best defense is a good reminder of your common sense" "So strike a match and hope it lasts, here's to following your own lead."
Even though you're left out, you can't sell yourself short to being someone you're not. You have to do what's best for yourself - don't let others determine who you are. Especially when it's hurting you.