"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.
Yo, 'member back on the bully when cats used to harmonize like
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)? Yo, yo
(Check out expression) yo
My men and my women
Don't forget about the deen, Sirat al-Mustaqim
Yo, it's about a thing, uh, yo
If you feel real good wave your hands in the air (yo, yo, what? What? What?)
And lick two shots in the atmosphere (uh)
(Yeah, yeah) put 'em up, put 'em up
(Uh, uh, uh, put 'em up, put 'em up) yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again (uh)
'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamins? (Uh-huh, yeah)
You act like you ain't hear him, then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you're really gon' pretend (pretend)
Like you wasn't down and you called him again? (Again)
Plus, when (when) you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin' him (him)
If you did it then, then you'd probably- again (again)
Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinkin' it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl (girl), respect is just a minimum (minimum)
N- and you still defending 'em (defending 'em)
Now, Lauryn is only human (human)
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament (I been in)
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans come again
Yo, a-win, win, come again (yeah, yeah)
Uh, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
My friend come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, yo)
Yeah, yeah
Guys you know you'd better watch out (yeah, uh)
'Cause girls, some girls are only about (some guys, some guys are only)
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing (one thing, one thing)
(Yo, yo)
The second verse is dedicated to the men (men)
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men come in the club like hooligans
Don't care who they offend, poppin' yang (like you got yen)
Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement
The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men
Need to take care of they three or four kids (man)
And they facin' court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men
And the sneaky, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
And quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men (be men)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (How you gonna win?)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Bredrin)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Be men)
Uh, uh, come again, uh (uh, uh)
(Come again)
Yo, yo, come again (yeah, yeah)
Yo, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
And sistren come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah) yeah, yeah
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Girls you know you'd better watch out (uh, huh)
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Guys you know you'd better watch out
'Cause girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Girls you know you'd better watch out (some guys, some guys are really not ready)
Some guys, some guys are only about (yeah, some girls, some girls are only, uh)
That thing, that thing, that thing (we taking it back, yo, way back, yo)
That thing, that thing, that thing
Ayy, we got some very intelligent women in here, man
Do you think you're too young to really love somebody?
(No, no, no, no, I don't think that)
I say it for me, uh, I'm an adult I say, wait
"You're too young to be in love, this is silly
You infatuated, whatever, he got nice jeans
He wear fancy Adidas"
I mean, it might be something I don't know (chill)
Bet
It's the difference from loving somebody and being in love with somebody
Well, you tell me, miss, what's the difference?
(Okay) what's the difference?
Okay, so, you-you can love anybody
But when you're in love with somebody
You're looking at it like this
You taking that person for what he or she is
No matter what he or she look like or no matter what he or she do
(God, she preaching right?) Aight
Well, if you fall in love, you can fall out of love (true that)
(But it's worth it to just love somebody)
Sure you might stop being in love with them
But you is not gon' stop loving that person
Maybe sometimes they never been loved before (yeah, true)
Or they've been in love before
Or they never-, they don't know what the feeling is to be loved
Uh, she poetic (I know that's right)
She killed it, we could end that conversation with that, right?
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)? Yo, yo
(Check out expression) yo
My men and my women
Don't forget about the deen, Sirat al-Mustaqim
Yo, it's about a thing, uh, yo
If you feel real good wave your hands in the air (yo, yo, what? What? What?)
And lick two shots in the atmosphere (uh)
(Yeah, yeah) put 'em up, put 'em up
(Uh, uh, uh, put 'em up, put 'em up) yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again (uh)
'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamins? (Uh-huh, yeah)
You act like you ain't hear him, then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you're really gon' pretend (pretend)
Like you wasn't down and you called him again? (Again)
Plus, when (when) you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin' him (him)
If you did it then, then you'd probably- again (again)
Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinkin' it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl (girl), respect is just a minimum (minimum)
N- and you still defending 'em (defending 'em)
Now, Lauryn is only human (human)
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament (I been in)
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans come again
Yo, a-win, win, come again (yeah, yeah)
Uh, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
My friend come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, yo)
Yeah, yeah
Guys you know you'd better watch out (yeah, uh)
'Cause girls, some girls are only about (some guys, some guys are only)
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing (one thing, one thing)
(Yo, yo)
The second verse is dedicated to the men (men)
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men come in the club like hooligans
Don't care who they offend, poppin' yang (like you got yen)
Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement
The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men
Need to take care of they three or four kids (man)
And they facin' court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men
And the sneaky, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
And quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men (be men)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (How you gonna win?)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Bredrin)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Be men)
Uh, uh, come again, uh (uh, uh)
(Come again)
Yo, yo, come again (yeah, yeah)
Yo, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
And sistren come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah) yeah, yeah
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Girls you know you'd better watch out (uh, huh)
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Guys you know you'd better watch out
'Cause girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Girls you know you'd better watch out (some guys, some guys are really not ready)
Some guys, some guys are only about (yeah, some girls, some girls are only, uh)
That thing, that thing, that thing (we taking it back, yo, way back, yo)
That thing, that thing, that thing
Ayy, we got some very intelligent women in here, man
Do you think you're too young to really love somebody?
(No, no, no, no, I don't think that)
I say it for me, uh, I'm an adult I say, wait
"You're too young to be in love, this is silly
You infatuated, whatever, he got nice jeans
He wear fancy Adidas"
I mean, it might be something I don't know (chill)
Bet
It's the difference from loving somebody and being in love with somebody
Well, you tell me, miss, what's the difference?
(Okay) what's the difference?
Okay, so, you-you can love anybody
But when you're in love with somebody
You're looking at it like this
You taking that person for what he or she is
No matter what he or she look like or no matter what he or she do
(God, she preaching right?) Aight
Well, if you fall in love, you can fall out of love (true that)
(But it's worth it to just love somebody)
Sure you might stop being in love with them
But you is not gon' stop loving that person
Maybe sometimes they never been loved before (yeah, true)
Or they've been in love before
Or they never-, they don't know what the feeling is to be loved
Uh, she poetic (I know that's right)
She killed it, we could end that conversation with that, right?
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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,
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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
"baby girl! respect is just a minimum!!!!! nigga fucked up and you still defendin' him......"
story of my life. i love lauryn. and my name's lauren. in seventh grade i tried to change my name to lauryn. that was 10 years ago, geez.