"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.
You know you could've been a wonder
Takin' your circus to the sky
You couldn't take it on the tight rope
No you had to take it on the side
You always like it undercover
Tucked in between your dirty sheets
But no one's even done nuttin' to ya
In between the hollers and the screams
And I said nah nah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't givin' out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
You got your cozy little corner
All night you're jammin' on your feet
Hangin' out just like a street sign
And put a twenty dollar trick
I hear you're blowin' like a feather
And then they rub it in your face
Oh once they've had all their fun hun
You're at the bottom of the cage
And I said nah nah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't giving out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
And I said nah nah hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
That's not right
Hey hey another dirty bird ain't givin' out a taste
Uh hey keep on givin' away and givin' it away (givin' it away)
Hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
Hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
Ah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't giving out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
And I said nah nah hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
That's not right
And I said nah nah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't giving out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
And I said nah nah hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
Takin' your circus to the sky
You couldn't take it on the tight rope
No you had to take it on the side
You always like it undercover
Tucked in between your dirty sheets
But no one's even done nuttin' to ya
In between the hollers and the screams
And I said nah nah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't givin' out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
You got your cozy little corner
All night you're jammin' on your feet
Hangin' out just like a street sign
And put a twenty dollar trick
I hear you're blowin' like a feather
And then they rub it in your face
Oh once they've had all their fun hun
You're at the bottom of the cage
And I said nah nah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't giving out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
And I said nah nah hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
That's not right
Hey hey another dirty bird ain't givin' out a taste
Uh hey keep on givin' away and givin' it away (givin' it away)
Hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
Hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
Ah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't giving out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
And I said nah nah hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
That's not right
And I said nah nah hey hey
Another dirty bird ain't giving out a taste
In the black of the night till the red morning light
And I said nah nah hey hey you're givin' all your cinnamon away
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
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”
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
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.
its a song about hookers
its a song about a fucking slut.....
I saw this song on a Ford commercial. Thats funny, usually those big corporations wouldnt allow this kind of song due to its lyrical content, there must be a cool guy in the marketing department that got this song on...nice work!
kings of leon used to sell condoms with their name on it. they're great.
oh yeah, i love this song.
yer good call. This song is wiked live
Agreed, definitely a song about what it's like to be a hooker and how they live without love "...in between the hollers and the scream" and once the guys are finished with they are left "at the bottom of the cage" with nothing but the money and a shallow experience of sex without love. KoL obviously disagree with this kind of living with the line "...you're givin' all your cinnamon away, That's not right"
Agreed. I jam to this song a lot, but it's kinda gross. :\
"I hear you're blowin' like a feather And then they rub it in your face"
Gwoss.
i friggin love this song -- sometimes the most repelling things in life create the basis of the most amazing songs ever. this is one of them.
gr8 solo in this 1 me thinks topic kinda bad tho