"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 you know it's time to go
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning
Light in the distance
And you hunger for the time
Time to heal, desire, time
And your earth moves beneath
Your own dream landscape
Oh, oh, oh
On borderland we run
I'll be there
I'll be there
Tonight
A high road
A high road out from here
The city walls are all come down
The dust, a smoke screen all around
See faces ploughed like fields that once
Gave no resistance
And we live by the side of the road
On the side of a hill
As the valley explode
Dislocated, suffocated
The land grows weary of its own
Oh come away, oh come away, oh come away, I say I
Oh come away, come away, oh come, oh come away, I say I
Oh, oh, oh
On borderland we run
And still we run
We run and don't look back
I'll be there
I'll be there
Tonight
Tonight
I'll be there tonight, I believe
I'll be there so high
I'll be there tonight, tonight
Oh come away, I say, I say oh
Oh come away, I say
The wind will crack in winter time
This bomb-blast lightning waltz
No spoken words, just a scream
Oh
Oh
Tonight we'll build a bridge
Across the sea and land
See the sky, the burning rain
She will die and live again
Tonight
And your heart beats so slow
Through the rain and fallen snow
Across the fields of mourning
Lights in the distance
Oh don't sorrow, no don't weep
For tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home
Through the sleet and driving snow
Across the fields of mourning
Light in the distance
And you hunger for the time
Time to heal, desire, time
And your earth moves beneath
Your own dream landscape
Oh, oh, oh
On borderland we run
I'll be there
I'll be there
Tonight
A high road
A high road out from here
The city walls are all come down
The dust, a smoke screen all around
See faces ploughed like fields that once
Gave no resistance
And we live by the side of the road
On the side of a hill
As the valley explode
Dislocated, suffocated
The land grows weary of its own
Oh come away, oh come away, oh come away, I say I
Oh come away, come away, oh come, oh come away, I say I
Oh, oh, oh
On borderland we run
And still we run
We run and don't look back
I'll be there
I'll be there
Tonight
Tonight
I'll be there tonight, I believe
I'll be there so high
I'll be there tonight, tonight
Oh come away, I say, I say oh
Oh come away, I say
The wind will crack in winter time
This bomb-blast lightning waltz
No spoken words, just a scream
Oh
Oh
Tonight we'll build a bridge
Across the sea and land
See the sky, the burning rain
She will die and live again
Tonight
And your heart beats so slow
Through the rain and fallen snow
Across the fields of mourning
Lights in the distance
Oh don't sorrow, no don't weep
For tonight, at last
I am coming home
I am coming home
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
A Sort of Homecoming Lyrics as written by Dave Evans Adam Clayton
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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,
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.
I think it's difficult to parse this song out from the entire Unforgettable Fire album -- which is a thematic album (not a concept album but thematic) that is basically about the "Four Loves" (see CS Lewis, who Bono was reading quite a lot of then).
The "fire" is love -- the album then explores the various loves -- and the good and bad that can come of each.
A Sort of Homecoming is basically a song about "storge" or the love one feels for familiarity (home, family, etc) and when the source of that storge is no longer there (think Bono's mom passing).
Even though the home is not really there anymore, the narrator is somewhat comforted by the fact that he is there -- hence A SORT of homecoming.