"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.
There I was in uniform
Looking at the art teacher
I was just a girl then;
Never have I loved since then
He was not that much older than I was
He had taken our class to the Metropolitan Museum
He asked us what our favorite work of art was,
But never could I tell it was him
Oh, I wish I could tell him,
Oh, I wish I could have told him
I looked at the Rubens and Rembrandts
I liked the John Singer Sargents
He told me he liked Turner
Never have I turned since then
No, never have I turned to any other man
All this having been said,
I married an executive company head
All this having been done, a Turner, I own one
Here I am in this uniformish, pant-suit sort of thing,
Thinking of the art teacher
I was just a girl then;
Never have I loved since then
No, never have I loved any other man
Looking at the art teacher
I was just a girl then;
Never have I loved since then
He was not that much older than I was
He had taken our class to the Metropolitan Museum
He asked us what our favorite work of art was,
But never could I tell it was him
Oh, I wish I could tell him,
Oh, I wish I could have told him
I looked at the Rubens and Rembrandts
I liked the John Singer Sargents
He told me he liked Turner
Never have I turned since then
No, never have I turned to any other man
All this having been said,
I married an executive company head
All this having been done, a Turner, I own one
Here I am in this uniformish, pant-suit sort of thing,
Thinking of the art teacher
I was just a girl then;
Never have I loved since then
No, never have I loved any other man
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental 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.
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.
This song is so depressing, it's amusing that it came from such a lighthearted song. The piano makes it so mesmerizing.
I heard this song is from a womens point of view.Like one of the "Art Teacher"'s former female students. I'd rather like to think it's from Rufus's point of view,but it doesnt matter.Genius is genius!
I am in love with the song! I love the wit and clever wording. "He told me he liked Turner Never have I turned since then No, never have I turned to any other man" Genius! And the lines "He asked us what our favorite work of art was, But never could I tell it was him" are great too! And "here I am in this uniformish pant suit sort of thing." makes me crack up every time I hear it! Gahhh, his voice is stunning in this song!! (Well, it always is of course.) This song just makes me melt :]
search for this song when rufus played it at "john harms" (whatever that is). he makes a really funny introduction about this art teacher he met at the gym, who told him details about some stories envolving the girl from the girl school he was teaching... it's really funny and you'll love the lyrics even more after hearing the story.
This is actually my favorite song on Want Two. Such a great song.
This is such a beautiful song
I was highly amused the first the first time I heard this in hearing him sing "I was just a girl then." But this is definately one of my favorite songs by him.
What a beautiful, sad song...so retrospective and filled with longing. Also really nice to listen to--this guy has so much talent with his voice. Doesn't he come from a musically inclined family--like opera singers and such? I think his sister sings backup on this album, too.
I also heard the story about Rufus running into this "cute" guy at the gym who happened to be an art teacher who had a female student with a crush on him. Rufus also said that he himself had a crush on this straight art teacher/gym buddy. And from that, he wrote this song.
He also actually performed this song for that (straight) art teacher who was so popular with his female students. Apparently, the song went way over the teacher's head. He didn't understand it.
Didn't understand it?!
...I totally relate. :(