"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.
Boys and girls in cars
Dogs and birds on lawns
From here I can touch the sun
Yay! Yay!
Put your jackets on
I feel we're being born
The Tropic of Capricorn is below
Yay! Yay!
Yay! Yay!
We stall above the pole
Still your face is young
As we feel our weight return
Yay! Yay!
A trail of shooting stars
The horse is called a storm
Because the air contains the Charge
Yay! Yay!
Yay! Yay!
The radio is on
And Houston knows the score
Can you feel it, we're almost home
Yay! Yay!
Yay! Yay!
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home)
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home)
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home)
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home to you)
Dogs and birds on lawns
From here I can touch the sun
Yay! Yay!
Put your jackets on
I feel we're being born
The Tropic of Capricorn is below
Yay! Yay!
Yay! Yay!
We stall above the pole
Still your face is young
As we feel our weight return
Yay! Yay!
A trail of shooting stars
The horse is called a storm
Because the air contains the Charge
Yay! Yay!
Yay! Yay!
The radio is on
And Houston knows the score
Can you feel it, we're almost home
Yay! Yay!
Yay! Yay!
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home)
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home)
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home)
The crew compartment's breaking up
(This is all I wanted to bring home to you)
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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,
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.
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.
i love this song so much, it was my introductory song to the Long Winters. I liken it to the same vibe that I get when I listen to Bowie's Ziggy Stardust or Mr. John's Rocket Man. There is something so rock and roll and yet so tragic about space travel. The climatic ending to the song is scary and beautiful no matter how many times that you listen to it.
To me this song evokes memories of the Columbia. They're about to land, and everyone is excited, and all of a sudden: "The crew compartment's breaking up." Makes me tear up a little every time. I also love the second vocal part at the end: "This is all I wanted to bring home."
I'm 98% sure this is about the Columbia incident. Espescially as it said on the website that the EP featured a song about a space shuttle crash. The "crew compartment" section is just heart breakaing.
John Roderick talks about this song at length on Song Exploder, Ep. 28. (songexploder.net/the-long-winters)
This is absolutely about the breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Even now, John has a hard time singing this song live without crying.
This song is absolutely amazing. The first time you hear it (at least the version on Future Soundtrack for America) is an uplifting and inspiring experience. The piano and percussion melt and sublimate together to form the perfect background to the equally perfect vocals.
The song is about dying on reentry to earth's atmosphere. On another level, I think it's about having an 'authentic experience' but then realizing you'll never be able to share it with the person you love...
This song is genius...Could it be about an astronaut's experience upon landing home?? Almost like the song "Major Tom" from Peter Schilling.
@GrungyBeatle It is about the columbia blowing up.
I think this song is about breaking up. At first everything is great...you feel like you can touch the sun. But as you feel your weight return (relationship is going into the toilet), it's like crashing back into the atmosphere...the shell (crew compartment) of your relationship is breaking up...
Amaaazing song. I love this band!<br /> <br /> I agree with what you said. But there is such relief as you feel your weight return.<br /> More of an actual floating than a crashing. <br /> <br /> The Long WInters bring me major joy!
if you like this song, you should also check out the band called "Now It's Overhead", especially their song "Hi".
The song IS about the Columbia. It's hauntingly beautiful without knowing the back story, but when you tie the lyrics in with what happened, let's just say I like this song for a good cry.