"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.
'Twas brilling, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Your majesty?
Kommen sie in.
Keeping your eyes gently closed, close your eyes tightly.
( )
it will rain, it will rain.
Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa. Grønlands radio;
vi ønsker jer godnat. Tamassi sinilluaritsi.
and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed from the tree next day a queen.
and as in uffish thought he stood,
long time the manxome foe he sought,
he left it dead and with its head,
he stood a while in thought.
and as in uffish thought he stood,
long time the manxome foe he sought,
he left it dead and with its head,
he stood a while in thought.
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Your majesty?
Kommen sie in.
Keeping your eyes gently closed, close your eyes tightly.
( )
it will rain, it will rain.
Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa. Grønlands radio;
vi ønsker jer godnat. Tamassi sinilluaritsi.
and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed from the tree next day a queen.
and as in uffish thought he stood,
long time the manxome foe he sought,
he left it dead and with its head,
he stood a while in thought.
and as in uffish thought he stood,
long time the manxome foe he sought,
he left it dead and with its head,
he stood a while in thought.
Lyrics submitted by toadtws
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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.
Notes:
The title is "Beware the Jabberwock" in Danish, which is a line from Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky."
The first "verse" of the song is the first paragraph of the poem.
"Kommen sie in" means "come in" in German, said respectfully.
"Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa" (referred to as KNR) is the national radio and television station of Greenland. It translates directly to "Greenland Radio," but in English KNR is usually translated as "Greenland National Broadcasting Company," as it is on KNR's website, .
The next sentence says "Greenland's radio: we wish you good night." in Danish.
And "Tamassi sinilluaritsi" is the plural form of "sleep well" in Greenlandic, the language of the indigenous people of Greenland.
So that enigmatic central paragraph means "Greenland Radio. Good night." in the two official languages of Greenland.
The last two paragraphs are again a collection of lines from "Jabberwocky," though they are out of order and the four lines come from three different stanzas. Carroll defined "uffish" as "a state of mind when the voice is gruffish, the manner roughish, and the temper huffish."
i just wanted to add that the line:
and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed from the tree next day a queen.
is the same clip used in their song "take time," although there it is altered to say:
For the first time in the history of the world a young girl climbed into a tree one day. She climbed down from the tree next day. God bless her.
thanks for the explanation of the greenlandic passage!!!!! I've been looking for it for ages!!!
The intro:
'Twas brilling, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogroves And the mome raths outgrabe.
is sampled from Alan Watts' 1960 public radio broadcast on KPFA in Berkley, California.