"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.
One, two
One, two, three, uh
Yeah
I was working part time in a five-and-dime
My boss was Mr. McGee
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind
'Cause I was a bit too leisurely
Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing
But different than the day before
That's when I saw her, ooh, I saw her
She walked in through the out door, out door
She wore a
Raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her
Built like she was
She had the nerve to ask me
If I planned to do her any harm
So, look here
I put her on the back of my bike
And-a we went riding
Down by old man Johnson's farm
I said now, overcast days never turned me on
But something about the clouds and her mixed
She wasn't too bright
But I could tell when she kissed me
She knew how to get her kicks
She wore a
Raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her
The rain sounds so cool when it hits the barn roof
And the horses wonder who you are
Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees
You feel like a movie star
Listen
They say the first time ain't the greatest
But I tell ya
If I had the chance to do it all again
I wouldn't change a stroke
'Cause baby, I'm the most
With a girl as fine as she was then, oh, oh yeah
Raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store (the kind you find)
Raspberry beret
If it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I, I think I, I think I love her
Raspberry beret
(No, no, no)
The kind you find in a second hand store (no, no, no)
Raspberry beret
(Tell me where have all the raspberry women gone?)
If it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
One, two, three, uh
Yeah
I was working part time in a five-and-dime
My boss was Mr. McGee
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind
'Cause I was a bit too leisurely
Seems that I was busy doing something close to nothing
But different than the day before
That's when I saw her, ooh, I saw her
She walked in through the out door, out door
She wore a
Raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her
Built like she was
She had the nerve to ask me
If I planned to do her any harm
So, look here
I put her on the back of my bike
And-a we went riding
Down by old man Johnson's farm
I said now, overcast days never turned me on
But something about the clouds and her mixed
She wasn't too bright
But I could tell when she kissed me
She knew how to get her kicks
She wore a
Raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her
The rain sounds so cool when it hits the barn roof
And the horses wonder who you are
Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees
You feel like a movie star
Listen
They say the first time ain't the greatest
But I tell ya
If I had the chance to do it all again
I wouldn't change a stroke
'Cause baby, I'm the most
With a girl as fine as she was then, oh, oh yeah
Raspberry beret
The kind you find in a second hand store (the kind you find)
Raspberry beret
If it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I, I think I, I think I love her
Raspberry beret
(No, no, no)
The kind you find in a second hand store (no, no, no)
Raspberry beret
(Tell me where have all the raspberry women gone?)
If it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
Lyrics submitted by Cool_Dandy
Raspberry Beret Lyrics as written by Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Clitoris, menstrual blood, true story? All highly unlikely. In the novel Eugene Onegin, I just came across a reference to a beautiful girl in a "framboise beret". ("Framboise" is French for "raspberry".) Apparently, Prince was reading Pushkin? It's just such an unlikely phrase. And no matter how cultured you think Prince is, chances are he's even more cultured.
i read in some review that this song is about a motorcycle. but most reviews are pretty far off anyway. the guy probably just heard the line about the bike and drew his own dumb conclusions.
Definitely my favorite Prince song.
Is it true the raspberry beret he's singing about is the clitoris?
@sproutboy No Pervert.
Well, if you didn't know already know--
This song is about Prince losing his virginity. Are ALL of the lyrics true? Your guess is better than mine.
LOL, Cool Dandy!!!
I love the lyrics, "She walked in through the out door, out door" and would like to point out, although its commonly known, that the lightning seeds got their name from this song and with good reason, what a piece of poetry.
A great song. As for the extended version, the first minute funky intro is the best intro I've ever heard to a song!!!!
It's kind of sweet when you think about it. Funny how when I was a kid I just sung the song not having a clue what I was saying.
And yeah, '2' and 'U' are his trademark. He doesn't like writing out '7' either.
MAN! ive always sang this song having no idea what the last 2 verses were about. But, now, that i look at it, IT IS about losing your (his) virginity. In a barn, its so hollywood so you feel like a movie star. And the horses are like WTF?! Whats with all this moaning! hahaha