"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.
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
It's the early morn
Lights flick on
Sleepy eyes peek through the blinds at something wrong
Motionless remains the mess
Shame, such a beautiful, beautiful young life
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
I'm busy in the blissful unaware
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
Tell me how am I supposed to care
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
A trail of clothes two years old
Why did you have to go and leave all this stuff behind
Wasn't I allowed three strikes and out
No, but you said I could, said I could just one night
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
I'm busy in the blissful unaware
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
Tell me how am I supposed to care
If I had let you go, let you go (sounds like Would)
Would this be different, different
Now I'll never know never know
I didn't get the chance damn you
If I let had you go, let you go
Would this be different, different
Now I'll never know never know
I didn't get the chance damn you
And by the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
I'm busy in the blissful unaware
And by the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
Tell me how am I supposed to care
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
It's the early morn
Lights flick on
Sleepy eyes peek through the blinds at something wrong
Motionless remains the mess
Shame, such a beautiful, beautiful young life
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
I'm busy in the blissful unaware
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
Tell me how am I supposed to care
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
A trail of clothes two years old
Why did you have to go and leave all this stuff behind
Wasn't I allowed three strikes and out
No, but you said I could, said I could just one night
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
I'm busy in the blissful unaware
By the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
Tell me how am I supposed to care
If I had let you go, let you go (sounds like Would)
Would this be different, different
Now I'll never know never know
I didn't get the chance damn you
If I let had you go, let you go
Would this be different, different
Now I'll never know never know
I didn't get the chance damn you
And by the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
I'm busy in the blissful unaware
And by the time I'm dreaming
And you've crept out on me sleeping
Tell me how am I supposed to care
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up,
No, don't wake me up
Don't wake up, won't wake up, can't wake up
Lyrics submitted by DiscreetThinker
By the Time Lyrics as written by Michael Holbrook Penniman Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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this is my favorite on the album.
my own interpretation of this is that the person he was dating killed themselves. "shame such a beautiful young life" and how he didn't get a chance to get to the 3 strikes or figure out to break up with them because of it. so he'll never know how the relationship could have gone because of it. so now nothing feels right even 2 years later and today he just wants to lay in bed because he's depressed and remembering the person is gone.
@jonahfauna I agree. I think the "something wrong" is their physical suicide, and the "motionless" mess is their body.
I think its about someone leaving him in the middle of the night "By the time I'm dreaming and you've crept out on me sleeping"
And the dont wake up part is about him being in denial about it as well as him not wanting to throw out all his ex's stuff "A trail of clothes two years old"
Mika and Imogen Heap together are too amazing for words. it's a perfect combination of fabulous voices.
or even the "don't wake up, wont wake up, can't wake up, no don't wake me up" part could be that he doesn't want to face reality of it.
I always thought about it as a person leaving the other in the night, like not wanting to talk about it and just leaving. The song is amazing!!
I thought it had something to do with two friends sleeping together and one or both of them regretting it the next morning. And the 'don't wake up' is them trying to avoid facing the reality of what they've done.
Really beautiful in a sad way, speshly the chorus. Amaze lyrics...Think its about someone whos lover just left them, and they're wondering why...
At first I thought that it was more along the lines of a lover leaving in the middle of the night.
But I do agree that the death of a loved one makes more sense now.
"Motionless remains the mess Shame, such a beautiful, beautiful young life"
I definitely think it is about a relationship that just quite couldn't work but he wishes that he had broken it off before she did & thus he "damns" her because he can't move on emotionally from the hurt. "Crept out on me sleeping" refers to the fact that the only time he can get some relief from the pain of the thought of her is when he's asleep that's why it's a "blissful" oasis of the unconscious or "unaware." I heard this song for the first time tonight & it has captivated me.
I am going to use MIka and Imogen as characters, and i am going to explain what i feel this song is about.
I believe this song is about a romantic relationship between mika and imogen which had come to an end by imogen walking out while mika was sleeping. Little did she know that mika was although sleeping for some reason quite aware that she was walking out, but to upset to want to wake up and do something about it although he wishes he had.