"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.
Shine the headlight
Straight into my eyes
Like the roadkill
I'm paralyzed
You see through my disguise
At the drive in
Double feature
Pull the lever
Break the fever
And say your last goodbyes
Since I was born I started to decay
Now nothing ever ever goes my way
One fluid gesture
Like stepping back in time
Trapped in amber
Petrified
And still not satisfied
Airs and social graces
Elocution so divine
I'll stick to my needle
And my favorite waste of time
Both spineless and sublime
Since I was born I started to decay
Now nothing ever ever goes my way
Straight into my eyes
Like the roadkill
I'm paralyzed
You see through my disguise
At the drive in
Double feature
Pull the lever
Break the fever
And say your last goodbyes
Since I was born I started to decay
Now nothing ever ever goes my way
One fluid gesture
Like stepping back in time
Trapped in amber
Petrified
And still not satisfied
Airs and social graces
Elocution so divine
I'll stick to my needle
And my favorite waste of time
Both spineless and sublime
Since I was born I started to decay
Now nothing ever ever goes my way
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Holiday
Bee Gees
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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.
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.
Obviously this song's general theme is "teenage angst", hence the title. To me this song means a hell of alot, this song gives me flashbacks of my early teen angst years.
But anyway, where Brian is saying "You see through my disguise" He's saying how people see through you when you try to be pretentious and be something your not.
This is just my opinion but the "Shine the headlight" and "roadkill" lines before he might be relating it to some old boy racers pretending to be more of themselves.
"Since I was born I started to decay. Now nothing ever ever goes my way "
This is just my personal interpretation but in the line "I'll stick to my needle and my favourite waste of time" even though it's about a drug addiction I think it could be about looking for someone you love that has mysteriously dissapeared off the face of the earth, and trying to find them is a waste of time like they are a needle stuck in the haystack. It's spineless to look for ages and sublime when you've got the result.