"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.
And it starts
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when
You lose yourself
For a minute or two
As you stand
Under the bar lights
And the band plays some song
About forgetting yourself for a while
And the piano's this melancholy sound check
To her smile
And that white dress she's wearing
You haven't seen her
For a while
But you know
That she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a crux
The room suddenly spinning
She walks up and asks how you are
So you can smell her perfume
You can see her lying naked in your arms
And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing
Like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies
Like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless
And lost in the haze
Of the wine
And she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her
She looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling
Your stomach in ropes
And when your friends say what is it
You look like you've seen a ghost
And you walk
Under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice
That everyone is staring at you
And you so care what you look like
The world is falling
Around you
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
And you know that she'll break you in two
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when
You lose yourself
For a minute or two
As you stand
Under the bar lights
And the band plays some song
About forgetting yourself for a while
And the piano's this melancholy sound check
To her smile
And that white dress she's wearing
You haven't seen her
For a while
But you know
That she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a crux
The room suddenly spinning
She walks up and asks how you are
So you can smell her perfume
You can see her lying naked in your arms
And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing
Like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies
Like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless
And lost in the haze
Of the wine
And she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her
She looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling
Your stomach in ropes
And when your friends say what is it
You look like you've seen a ghost
And you walk
Under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice
That everyone is staring at you
And you so care what you look like
The world is falling
Around you
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
And you know that she'll break you in two
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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."
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.
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.
this song is so wonderful, i can't even take it.
i envision, a man sitting in a bar, and in walks this woman, a woman he once loved and whom loved him. he probably hasn't seen or even thought of her in quite some time but the minute he sees her walking by; laughing, talking, drinking, he is flooded with emotion. the memories of who they were and what they had, come pouring in; reasons for why they ended their relationship are irrelevant because since it has been so long, all that is left are memories of the good times. she walks over to him and he feels just as he did when they had each other "so you can smell her perfume you can see her lying naked in your arms."
he remembers what it felt like to hold her, to love her, to be with her, and for all of the love to be returned.
she leaves with another man. she makes sure he sees that she has someone else because she wants him to know that she has found love again, that she is happy, that she has everything she needs. i assume she is clouded with emotion just as he is, otherwise, why would she bother in making such a scene about having another?
she leaves the bar and moments later he stumbles out, to search for her or perhaps himself.
he's not quite coherent and the floods of mixed emotions aren't helping.
all he wants is to see her again, to be in that place again, that place of love and sweet bliss, but he knows that if he sees her again it will only further prove to himself that he can never have her again, that everything they are has passed over into sweet memory.
"You just have to see her
and you know that she'll break you in two"
he had forgotten her for so long and now that he is reminded, what will he do?
I love this song so much it makes me feel alive. You sound pretty accurate with what you say. I managed to see them live in carlisle in england and they did not dissapoint. I am also going to see them again in glasgow on the 30th of january. If you get the chance go and see them. Where you from by the way please
Boaky says you sound "pretty accurate" in your response, No. What you wrote about the song was poetic and hit the nail on the head in a way that would probably make the writer of the song smile. What you wrote is EXACTLY what I envisioned. A beautiful song. So much emotion, so much feeling, so much progression. It's funny how a few drinks will do that sometimes. Not that he wouldn't have felt the same way without the drinks, but that level of spiraling emotion usually starts with a glass.
Your analysis on him is right on point. I disagree about what you said about her, though. I don't think she has found someone new, that she cares about as much or has as much of a connection with as with the man in the song. She is trying to make him jealous. They probably haven't thought of each other in awhile, but it is impossible to ignore their magnetism. Once they see one another again, they're drowning in memories. She still has immense feelings for him, but probably still holds a grudge over why they broke up. So, to make him jealous she makes sure he notices her, to prove to herself that he still wants her. And of course, as the end of the song shows, it works.
I have to agree with bestlaidschemes...She still wants him bad! I just had an ex tell me that this song reminds him of how he feels when he is laying down to fall asleep. We both have this amazing connection and for many reasons aren't able to be together at this time. He is the greatest love of my life...and yet, I know when I see him...I want him to notice me...I want him to want me. I guess I just want him to feel what I feel or how deep our connection truly is...so I would be doing the same thing...then as I walked out the door...feel my stomach ache and wish I was still in his arms. I think there are those people in our lives...that test our faith...Does anyone know of any others like this...???
I'm totally with Mike 818whatevers on this, i don't feel sorry for this joe at all. i suspect that the woman is married, hence the white dress (are those lyrics accurate?).. <br /> and what if the guy she left with was just a friend, or relative, or the drummer? ...he's there with all his friends, right? sorry. this song reeks a bit of overly dramatic ego... the bright eyes/explosions/okkerville sound mentioned earlier definately has it's hook, but i'm annoyed already and thinking the narrator should consider himself lucky he wasn't tangling with something more deadly and lost his head altogether. i'd rather endure thirty days of bright eyes or stinking casiotone for the painfully alone than have to hear this one more overexposed time. barf<br /> and as for the brilliant poetic lyrics..."feral waves " ? influenced by Don Delillo? LOL so much affect they make you suspect the whole works was cut and pasted from a montage of girlfriends loveletters. it's a good thing they're a charitable lot.<br />
sarahlynn, your interpretation is so generous; maybe you should rewrite the song, enlist the help of the tattooedharpist and make something less likely to induce the gag reflex.
I agree that the subject of the song is feeling a lot of emotion, but I don't think there's anything happy about it. Your analysis was very well written but I'm not sure it's as accurate as people are saying. If only because it's really presumptuous. You assume that they haven't seen each other in a long time, that they're happy to see each other, and that she's happy without him, of which there is no evidence (and in some cases there is contradictory evidence) in the lyrics.<br /> <br /> He sees her and it makes him feel sort of sad and wistful (that's why the melancholy piano matches her smile).<br /> <br /> Then she comes over and makes small talk which only brings back a lot of memories for him:<br /> "all of these memories come rushing/like feral waves to your mind/of the curl of your bodies/like two perfect circles entwined/and you feel hopeless, and homeless..."<br /> Feral implies that they're vicious feelings that rip at him. The loss of that bliss he had with this woman makes him feel empty and helpless.<br /> <br /> The next part is open to interpretation. <br /> A) She leaves with someone else and makes sure he sees, not to show him that she's happy, but to make him jealous. And it works. His "blood boils" his stomach ties up and he goes pale and gets visibly upset. <br /> <br /> B) All the games she's playing are in his head and he's just convincing himself that that's what's happening because he's in pain. <br /> <br /> Either way, he tries to drink his pain away and stumbles down the street, aching just to see her again even though it's caused him so much pain already. Because, sometimes, seeing the one you love can rip you apart but not seeing them is even worse. <br /> <br /> It's a situation that a lot of people can connect with and I love how raw it sounds when he sings "You look like you've seen a ghost." Even the tone and way it's played/sung make it easier to relate to.
My interpretation: <br /> <br /> It's about a man sitting in a bar sometime around midnight, still thinking about the girl he recently broke up with and remembering all the times they had together. He's gloomy and upset about the whole situation, and he's watching some woman in a white dress that reminds him of his ex (you haven't seen her [his ex]<br /> for a while). <br /> <br /> She's keeping watch on him from afar, finally wondering what's up with this guy, she walks over to him to start small talk ("the room spinning" because she's close now and the memories of his ex are flooding his thoughts). He smells her perfume and it reminds him more and more of his ex by the second ("thoughts of lying naked and being 2 perfect circles entwined").<br /> <br /> Still caught in the memories and his drinks getting the best of him, he becomes delusional and thinks this woman is his ex, and it freaks her out. The woman walks away, finds her hook-up, watching him as she walks out, and bolts out the bar ("And she leaves...with someone you don't know, but she makes sure you saw her she looks right at you and bolts") [He thinks it's her new boyfriend] and he gets enraged. <br /> <br /> His friends walk over and ask him what happened and he snaps out of it and plays it cool ("he's just seen a ghost"). <br /> <br /> Now in the streets he has given up on life and doesn't care about anything or anyone but his ex ("and you so care what you look like [sarcasm] the world is falling around you") because he knows just as the woman walked from the bar, his ex has left him for good and she never wants to see or talk to him again. <br /> <br /> As he walks to where-ever, he slowly puts away the thoughts of his ex for good. (You just have to see her and you know that she'll break you in two) <br /> <br /> [From his thoughts: "Man I just have to see her, I have to! But if I do, she'll kill me...There's no way I could speak to her again. It's useless.]
These lyrics are exactly the way I felt when I saw an ex one time in a club. I was over her, but I had not seen her for over a year, she was different. I was in a bar I suddenly was empty and jealous, longing for something I didn't know I even wanted. Had I not been drunk I may not have felt that way. But I did feel something, like a whirlwind. These lyrics bring it back vividly into my mind. I now feel like I am not the only one that that has happened to. In a way it is like how dare she continue to exist without me. Of course the writer could mean virtually anything. LOL!
Consider yourself lucky if you haven't been there. Great lines - "You just have to see her, and you know that she'll break you in two."
Is anyone else reminded of The Great Gatsby? Because it reminds me of the part where Gatsby's throwing one of his huge extravagant parties and Daisy shows up to it for the first time. In the book, I believe she was wearing a white dress to the party, and that someone said to Gatsby "you look like you've seen a ghost" sometime during the party. And they showed up to Gatsby's around midnight.. And as Daisy's leaving, she searches for Gatsby in the crowd of faces, but she's with her husband.
So there are some similarities, if I'm remembering correctly. And I imagine this song to be about that part, only from Gatsby's perspective to pay tribute, I guess, since you only get Nick's perspective in the book.
Either way, it's a beautiful song, it gets me every time. (':
And this girl, Jen Miller, did a lovely cover of it. She messes up once or twice, but her voice really does justice to the mood of the song. Check it out: youtube.com/watch
YES I AM!! I was actually browsing the comments to see if anyone else saw the connection.
i like how the song's in second person.
I just want to add that this song used to bring tears to my eyes just thinking of the horror of this situation ever being possible with my wife. Now that we are going through a divorce that I want no part of and she does, I deathly fear becoming the guy in the song. I can't stand to listen to the song and yet I listen to it anyway. I know people say they can relate to the feelings because of an ex, but when the ex is somebody who you've loved for over 20 years and she has no regard for you then you really understand the emotion. I'm guessing the writer never felt that level of pain because he's probably not old enough, but he sure writes like somebody who did.
Mikkel (lead singer) and Noah (bassist) were being interviewed when they were asked what this song meant. Mikkel said "It's pretty clear what it's about. I was at a bar one night and my ex-girlfriend was there". Then he looked at Noah and said "You were there that night, you remember". Noah said "Yeah".
And he has said that most of his songs are written about ex-girlfriends. He says the band holed up in an apartment for a month and wrote them all during that time. And he has stated that it was during a time in his life when he found out he had some illnesses, his mother was diagnosed with cancer and he longterm girlfriend had broken up with him.
So, it's definitely about his ex - and apparently that night really happened.
The album is amazing. No joke.
From start to finish. There isnt to many albums out there that I dig each song!<br />
absolutely amazing song. Love the lyrics, but I always believe that it's the melodies that evoke emotion and support the feeling behind the words...
The song begins in a mellow way with less instrumentation, his voice is gentle and it seems like he is keeping it together. But his true feelings slowly start to surface...
He thinks that she is intentionally trying to hurt him while being aloof by flaunting her smile and reminding him of her perfume.
"and so there's a change"...
The memories come rushing and emotions consume him to the point of feeling hopeless and homeless...
As she leaves, it's the breaking point. "gut boiling" and friends noting that he "looks like a ghost" By now all of the instruments are being included, with the full sound you can feel the emotions running high and overwhelming him... His voice is louder now too, as he screams...
Walking after her and making a drunken spectacle of himself doesn't even matter, He just has to see her.
This song crept into the crevices of old wounds which have never quite healed. The Airborne Toxic Event captures Adult Angst in a way reminicent of The Church or The Cure during the late eighties.
The song in itself is no great riddle, as it speaks whats on its mind. The song's transparency does nothing to blunt its impact though. It is rare for lyrics so specific to cut so deep.
The man made the choice to allow the relationship to end, something he now regrets, and something for which the woman has never forgiven him. Now regret and guilt consume him, drawing him out into the night in the hope of finding the one he left behind, but full well knowing what that will cost. (she will break him in two)
Seeking out her favorite spaces from the past, a meeting inevitably occurs poeticaly just around midnight. She immediately takes note of his presence, for she too wears the scars of their past battles. Yet the war has not ended and she makes sure to twist the knife a final time as she exits the scene.
He is left hollow, clinging to the hopeless dream of returning to a relationship where the trust has been broken, and still he cannot stay away, for to let it die would mean abandoning the only thing he has left...his immense sadness over a love lost.
for what its worth, G.
i couldn't have said it any better. sounds like she still has a hold on him and him to her.
Given your screen name, I can see why you are drawn to this song. Why is it that songs of sadness and loss make the most sense? Perhaps, because love is an illusion that cannot sustain itself, invariably leaving those that enter its sphere with an eternal sense of longing and disappointment. Then again some illusions can endure a lifetime, which is a comforting notion. <br /> <br /> Regardless, the bond between the two is quite real, so too the pain they inflict upon one another while trying to conceal their own wounds.
heard this song on the radio today and as someone else said "it crept into the crevices of old wounds" and froze me. in reading some comments i'm suprised how many people didn't really get it. but as someone else said you'd have to have gone through the same and you'd know exactly what he's talking about.
That's exactly as i felt. everything he talks about is something i've felt, and continue to feel. it really struck me to hear someone else singing about EXACTLY what i feel.
i think i'll just say what i, and i'm sure many others, have gone through, and you'll see the parallels. i dated a girl for 2 years, then she broke it off. if i see her or pictures, i have that moment just like he describes "and that white dress she's wearing", with quickly being struck by their beauty, and how much you loved how beautiful they were, it's something you try to forget ("you haven't seen her for awhile") but just strikes you when you do. and then the jealousy of how happy she is, or carefree, something, while you're still hurting. similar to the 3rd stanza, where he's watching her.
sometimes she'll call, completely randomly. and i get struck just like he is when she comes to talk to him, all the memories, passion, flash through my head, it immediately changes my mood as his does. i get all nervous and can't talk right ("And you feel hopeless, and homeless, And lost in the haze Of the wine"). she'll tell me about her boyfriend or something with how great things are, and it gives the same blood boiling feeling. As the girl makes sure he notices her and sees her leave and he feels that anger, that's how it feels when she'll call. like she just does it to remind me of her, stir up the memories, make sure it still hurts. the whole situation leaves me feeling lost and heartbroken just as he does walking under the street lights. the next feeling is wanting to see her again, be with her again, hoping there could still be a chance..but deep down "you know that she'll break you in two".
i don't really think she's this evil..it's just what goes through a persons mind. sorry for getting so personal, just really struck me how similar it was. just wanted to get it off my chest i guess.
just watched the video, really like that at 3:48ish you see in the notebook he has written "i know it was my fault" because that's the only thing that was missing in the parallels. we both screwed it up, and now we know it.