"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 hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of shit
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I will keep myself
I would find a way
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of shit
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I will keep myself
I would find a way
Lyrics submitted by implode, edited by Mellow_Harsher, swagshag
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Head > Heels
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Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
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this is a song talking about being at the absolute bottm of depression. its something that unless you have been there or watched someone there you never really understand
I hurt myself today to see if I still feel (I feel so dead and empty, I was just wondering if I still had any feeling) I focus on the pain the only thing that's real (everything seems surreal, but at least I know the pain is real) the needle tears a hole the old familiar sting (I’ve done drugs to deaden my senses for so long its familiar, normal) try to kill it all away but I remember everything (I try to make the memories and pain go away, but it won’t go)
what have I become? my sweetest friend (you are the closest to me, I adore you, help me) everyone I know goes away in the end ( I drive everyone away from me)
you could have it all my empire of dirt (if you want me you can take it, but I’m worthless) I will let you down I will make you hurt (I will do to you what I’ve done to everyone else, drive you away with my self loathing)
I wear this crown of shit (my crowning achievement in life is that I have achieved nothing) upon my liar's chair ( I don’t know the truth anymore so it all must be lies) full of broken thoughts I cannot repair (I try but I cant keep my head together) beneath the stains of time the feelings disappear ( i don’t remember how to feel its been so long since I have) you are someone else (you have changed) I am still right here (I have not)
if I could start again a million miles away I would keep myself I would find a way (if I could do it all over again. Away from all the people I know and love I wouldn’t lose who I was, I’d find a way to show them I really do care. It wouldn’t have to end this way)
being depressed and harming myself, that's exactly how I interpret this song.<br />
I like the line by line interpretation.<br /> <br /> I always thought of "everyone I know goes away in the end" being more of the fact that in death they no longer exist, depending on your view of what life and reality is.
@demonicaangel This is the most accurate interpretation I’ve read yet.
@demonicaangel This is it. Very accurate.