"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.
He was the congregation's vagrant
With an unrequited love
When your passion's exaltation
Then finding refuge is not enough
She was the youngest of the family
And the last to be let go
When they decided they would try
And make it on their own
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
And how I let it fade away
Where'd you go?
When July became December
Their affection fought the cold
But they couldn't quite remember
What inspired them to go
And it was beautifully depressing
Like A Streetcar Named Desire
They were fighting for their love
That started growing tired
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
And how I let it fade away
Don't fade away
When the money lost momentum
And the bills were piling high
Then the smile had finally faded
From the apple of their eye
And they were young and independent
And they thought they had it planned
Should've known right from the start
You can't predict the end
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
And how I let it fade away
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
How I let it fade away
Don't fade away
With an unrequited love
When your passion's exaltation
Then finding refuge is not enough
She was the youngest of the family
And the last to be let go
When they decided they would try
And make it on their own
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
And how I let it fade away
Where'd you go?
When July became December
Their affection fought the cold
But they couldn't quite remember
What inspired them to go
And it was beautifully depressing
Like A Streetcar Named Desire
They were fighting for their love
That started growing tired
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
And how I let it fade away
Don't fade away
When the money lost momentum
And the bills were piling high
Then the smile had finally faded
From the apple of their eye
And they were young and independent
And they thought they had it planned
Should've known right from the start
You can't predict the end
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
And how I let it fade away
Oh memories
Where'd you go?
You were all I've ever known
How I miss yesterday
How I let it fade away
Don't fade away
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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.
I can see this as a young mormon couple falling out of love. Although I am not LDS myself I have studied their religion because I am fascinated by different world religions.
Brendon Urie himself was mormon, so you can sort of understand the message he was trying to get across with this song.
I know some of you are like "what?" right now, but let me make a brief explanation.
In that particular faith, the girls get married quite young, and often to men that are slightly older. Oftentimes it is a man that they grew up with in church, but not always.
"He was the congregation's vagrant" Congregation means "A group of people gathered together for religious worship." So, in the story, the young mormon man is the vagrant of the cult, meaning that he is a wanderer. What exactly this means, I am not sure. It could me he hops from ward to ward with a certain disregard for rules, or maybe that his faith is weak. The specifics of what vagrant means in the song is not important.
"She was the youngest of the family, and the last to be let go" This part could be about the young mormon woman. Oftentimes mormon families are very large, so the fact that she is the youngest has a certain significance. It may mean one of these three things: 1) Her parents were more overprotective with her 2) Her parents were less protective of her and she had more freedom to rebel 3) She was neglected As soon as she was "the last to be let go," she runs off with this' vagrant' boy to build a life with him. I'm not entirely certain, but it seems as if they are rejecting their religion now that they are adults, and going off to do their own thing.
The rest of the song is self explanatory. The young and reckless couple falls out of love. They've realized that their partnership was not well-planned, and they are unable to afford their new life, so they split up.
As you read this, remember that a song's meaning is defined by personal opinion. So you can see it however you want. This is just the easiest way for me to envision the meaning of the song.
Also
Not every song is about Jon and Ryan
Good day everyone