"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.
When they say promises
They mean promises
They'd say, that's okay
Long as we can celebrate
Ooh, you see, my uncle would say
Things would change when he's dead
Meet me in the bathroom
That's what she said
I don't mind
It's true
Hey
Never was on time
Yes, I once was mine
Well, that was long ago
And darling, I don't mind
Yeah, we were just two friends in lust
And baby, that just don't mean much
Oh yeah, you trained me not to love
After you showed me what it was
Now she's staring wide-eyed
Can't close her eyes
Say what?
Anywhere is fine
Just don't waste my time
Ah, you see, my uncle would say
Things would change once he's dead
Meet me in the bathroom
That's what she said
I don't mind
It's true
Never was on time
Yes, I once was mine
Well, that was long ago
And darling, I don't mind
Yeah, they were just two fucks in lust
Oh baby, that just don't mean much
Oh yeah, you trained me not to love
After you taught me what it was
They mean promises
They'd say, that's okay
Long as we can celebrate
Ooh, you see, my uncle would say
Things would change when he's dead
Meet me in the bathroom
That's what she said
I don't mind
It's true
Hey
Never was on time
Yes, I once was mine
Well, that was long ago
And darling, I don't mind
Yeah, we were just two friends in lust
And baby, that just don't mean much
Oh yeah, you trained me not to love
After you showed me what it was
Now she's staring wide-eyed
Can't close her eyes
Say what?
Anywhere is fine
Just don't waste my time
Ah, you see, my uncle would say
Things would change once he's dead
Meet me in the bathroom
That's what she said
I don't mind
It's true
Never was on time
Yes, I once was mine
Well, that was long ago
And darling, I don't mind
Yeah, they were just two fucks in lust
Oh baby, that just don't mean much
Oh yeah, you trained me not to love
After you taught me what it was
Lyrics submitted by d0rk0saurus
Meet Me in the Bathroom Lyrics as written by Julian Casablancas
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
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."
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
3/4 of the worlds songs are about courtney love
I love this song, and there are some great lines, the best being the ones that jazzy88 posted. Here is a new idea, though....a pregnancy scare. She is staring wide eyed, people are never on time, it is true....meet me in the bathroom....now what are they going to do, since they are just two fucks in lust....
Yeah, we were just two fucks in lust Baby, that just don't mean much You trained me not to love After you taught me what it was.
perfect.
I believe she wrote a song in response entitled "But Julian, I'm a Little Older Than You" with a reference to this song.
yes, all good musicians have to fuck courtney love... or the equivalent of her anyway...
Am I the only one who thinks this has to do with Julian's father/parents? Promises; like wedding vows. They can celebrate the wedding, get drunk & whatnot. The uncle reference could be a personal thing & not a metaphor.
Then it sorta goes into how Julian treats girls, maybe. They're just fucks & nothing more. His father kind of skewed the whole idea of love for him. The last chorus changes from 'we' to 'they.' 'They' are his parents.
Just a thought. Room On Fire is the best Strokes album hands down.
I think you are spot on dude.
this is a great song, and it's pretty much about some girl asking you to meet her in the bathroom and you're saying ok as long as she doesn't waste my time, i guess it may sound stupid but i can relate to this because it already happenned
this is about a girl who is desperate for affection, and realy needs a relationship, and yet he is satisfied with "meeting her in the bathroom". this is extremely relevant to teenage love and lust, and exploration. and obvious reference to being a teenager in the "meet me in the bathroom", as it shows how the girl is assertive but theyre afraid of showing the affection, he affection based on lust and need for affection, the reference to highschool comes out in the setting for the "lust" (ie bathroom), probably more understandable if uve done the same thin ; )
i think that every song off room on fire and is this it is extremley relevent to teenage love lust and thats why the strokes are so popular, theyre like soundtracks.
song for a sex pioneerrr
you trained me not to love after you taught me what it was--ah i love it!