"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've been sleeping with ghosts
I've been watching stars crawling out of the sky
I've been hoping I'm close
To the spaceman movies I call my life
And I've been climbing ladders through time
I've got tunnel vision but I'm doing fine
And I've been watching stars coming off of the wall
And maybe if I'm lucky I could catch them before you fall
And you are not alone
Calling out to the astronaut
I need some of what you've got
I need to be high
Crawling out of a world she bought
Calling out to the astronaut
I need to be high
I've been holding this microphone
And I've been channeling but I think we're alone
I've got platinum vision and a tin foil touch
I've got you to propel me
But I still need so much
Not to be alone
Calling out to the astronaut
I need some of what you've got
I need to be high
Crawling out of a world she bought
Calling out to the astronaut
I need to be high
You are not alone
Calling out to the astronaut
I need some of what you've got
I need to be high
I disappear in a world she bought
Calling out to the astronaut
I need to be high
I've been watching stars crawling out of the sky
I've been hoping I'm close
To the spaceman movies I call my life
And I've been climbing ladders through time
I've got tunnel vision but I'm doing fine
And I've been watching stars coming off of the wall
And maybe if I'm lucky I could catch them before you fall
And you are not alone
Calling out to the astronaut
I need some of what you've got
I need to be high
Crawling out of a world she bought
Calling out to the astronaut
I need to be high
I've been holding this microphone
And I've been channeling but I think we're alone
I've got platinum vision and a tin foil touch
I've got you to propel me
But I still need so much
Not to be alone
Calling out to the astronaut
I need some of what you've got
I need to be high
Crawling out of a world she bought
Calling out to the astronaut
I need to be high
You are not alone
Calling out to the astronaut
I need some of what you've got
I need to be high
I disappear in a world she bought
Calling out to the astronaut
I need to be high
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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”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced 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.
Never really heard this song, but I am downloading it now