Fast Car lyrics by Tracy Chapman, 8 meanings. Fast Car explained, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
No new notifications
View all notifications
Hey, click the icon to check the status of your contributions.
User icon

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car lyrics

Create lyrics explanation
Select some words and click "Explain" button. Then type your knowledge, add image or YouTube video till "Good-o-meter" shows "Cool" or "Awesome!". Publish your explanation with "Explain" button. Get karma points!
OK, got it!
Request & respond explanations
  • Don't understand the meaning of the song?
  • Highlight lyrics and request an explanation.
  • Click on highlighted lyrics to explain.
Tracy Chapman – Fast Car lyrics
You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Any place is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
Me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
I got a plan to get us out of here
I've been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
Won't have to drive too far
Just cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And fin'lly see what it means to be living

See my old man's got a problem
He lives with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his bodys too old for working
I say his bodys too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebodys got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember when we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in the market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs

I remember we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me'd find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

I remember when we were driving driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way
Explain Request
×



Lyrics taken from /lyrics/t/tracy_chapman/fast_car.html

  • Explanations
    new
  • Meanings
  • Email
  • Print
  • Correct
    Add song structure elements
    Click "Correct" to open the "Correction form". There you can add structure tags, correct typos or add missing words. Send your correction and get karma points! Result of your work will appear after moderating.
    OK, got it!
Songwriters: Tracy L. Chapman
Corrected by aruki

hot lyrics

Fast Car meanings Post my meaning

  • U
    + 9
    Unregistered 2020-10-22 17:05:34
    Is about a desire to leave everything behind and start from new, because she thinks she deserve better things, she feels so alone and sad and want to start fresh and new in another place, she believed she found a person to share her dreams and take action on them, she had high espectations on him, the future and the relationship but she wasn't stronger enough to move on alone and reach her dreams, she keeps making excuses for the shitty man that she have, in the end she lives a sad life, repeating the cycle, but she keep dreaming on something better.

    English is my second language, please be kind to me and my grammar.
    Add your reply
  • s
    + 7
    SKingi 2011-01-14 14:43:51
    I finally esacaped an alcaholic's home with nicknamed men trapsing through, a mother's reputation to overcome, brainwashed guilt doormat who paid for her binging, no apologies the next day, freedom came at 19yrs, when the light bulb exploded and the window of opportunity came I grabbed, with flatmates who inspired belief to leave my prison and town for 20yrs, I proved to my inner haunted child that the chains that once held me could be with time, unlinked. 20yrs returning to whanau (family) I returned with my twin inspirations only to find the cycle had spread from mother to siblings. The brain washing continued. The drive to esacap happened again, but now I no longer run from alcaholic drama's, instead I stand in my own light and dreams of a better future via practising what I preach only to my self without justification to other's or judgement on others. My children are my future, they see the cycle of their whanau (familys) actions and consequensenes and we are no longer held by the brainwashing of addictive behaviors and secrets. We are stronger for the lyric's of Tracy Chapman's honesty when other's choose not to empower, inspire, strengthen and reaffirm natural laws that parts of humanity have lost their way in the journey of life. She reminds us all of our purpose within the circle of life!
    Add your reply
  • m
    + 3
    mandie0524 2021-02-16 21:43:50
    I have always thought this song was about a young woman living in poverty who has been taking care of her alcoholic father since a very young age falls in love with a young man and like many of us do, overlooks his flaws and faults. She is blinded by love and because he has what she considers a "fast car", he is a good, hard working man who has big dreams in life. In her eyes, she is ready to move on from being a caregiver and create a life of her own with someone who loves her. In reality, he is an alcoholic and is not looking for anything more than the next bottle. She dreams of the two of them flying away in his fast car but he has no desire to go anywhere. She gets a job working at the convenience store to earn money to move into something that is suitable for the family she wants to create with him. She never realizes that what she wants is not what he wants. He is not working or doing anything to better their lives and on the rare occasion that he spends time with her, it feels so good to have his arm around her and feel loved. At some point she realizes that all these dreams she had were hers alone and he is no different from her father. By the end of the song, she is ready for him to take his fast car and just keep on driving.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 1
    Unregistered 2020-04-16 01:44:39
    This is just my own opinion, so I may be very off track, but... I believe that the entire song explains a daughters relationship with her father. We read that her mother left her father and she gave up her schooling to care for him. I did think that it was weird that in the few lines below that the daughter would feel comfortable with her father's arms around her shoulders.
    "City lights lay out before us
    And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
    I had a feeling that I belonged"
    But we have to think about their situation. The daughter is now his caregiver. Mum is gone. And it's important to acknowledge that when you're poor, as they are, your human connections are so important. I think that when she felt so content with him in the car that she had so much hope for their future. She could feel his love and she believed in him, she had a job, she knew they could work something out.
    In the last few verses (I like the meaning others have mentioned) I think that she finally realizes he's not going to change his ways and he would rather go out with his mates than be with her (his child). She decides that she isn't going to make his decisions anymore, it's his responsibility. Like her mother, she finds that there is more in life.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 1
    Unregistered 2015-11-08 20:59:37
    It's about a girl who married a man and had kids. Her husband is always drunk and never comes home at night. The girl starts to think about all the things she had gone through with her husband. She remembers when they left her drunken father in her husband's "fast car". She talks about talking to him about leaving. She says that at that point, she had saved some money at the convenience store. They drove off. Then she moves to another part of her life. She says that she got a job at the grocery store. She is a little upset that her husband hadn't gotten a job. She says that she wants to move into a bigger house, but they need more money. Then she talks about after they move out of the shelter and into a big house. She says that her husband always goes home drunk. In the last part of the song she is talking straight to her husband. She is telling him that either he could leave in his "fast car" or stay with her and her kids and never leave. If you have noticed in the beginning she says:
    "You got a fast car
    Is it fast enough so we can fly away
    We gotta make a decision
    We leave tonight or live and die this way
    And then after, she says
    You got a fast car
    But is it fast enough so you can fly away
    You gotta make a decision
    You leave tonight or live and die this way"
    In the first part she is talking about them. She said that she wanted to go somewhere with him. In the end she says that she wants him to leave or stay forever.
    2 replies
  • U
    - 1
    Unregistered 2022-07-06 05:15:45
    It’s about a person who is so lost she has nothing to lose. She meets someone who has a way for her to get out of the life she was born into. Anything is better than what she is living.

    The last verse is her having used him to get out of her old life and no longer needing him as he was only a means of escaping her old life.
    Add your reply
  • m
    - 2
    michael1973 2010-09-09 18:56:47
    I feel really awful today. I've been listening to Tracy for many years and I've never paid enough attention to her lyrics. Today I had a little time to think and I took a little more time to listen to her again and I discovered how great she is I hope nobody in the states thinks she's a communist if not she's gonna suffer the same luck as John Lennon.
    1 reply
  • U
    - 8
    Unregistered 2016-09-05 04:27:42
    I think it's about this kid who struck it rich in society as a writer. Three people recommended him with a ticket to their worlds: a heavenly saint to the Christian folk who is a preacher's son from scotland, Alaster Debuy; a demonic believer who is considered a great satan Roland Nadler; and a man who used to live in limbo Fred Pestello. There's this girl who meets him who wants to become a pop star in the future when the age of pop stars is over and all the fans who turn popular turn out to be societal slaves. It is not sure whether she is already one or just made the end cut. He can make it happen because he is well connected in society. She doesn't want to pair with him as a popular item from Le Moyne College--but she still wants her skit written. So he does and at the end suggests that they get together in a car and run away when the economy crashes.
    This happens in New Jersey. Then they make it to movie star New York where everything is just like the movies.
    When they get icecream watching the cops on tv getting roasted she says laughing knowing this long is a real relationship but she's not going to say it, says, "May your piss always froth." as Zoogi Momostay.
    Add your reply
    View 3 more meanings

    Write about your feelings and thoughts about Fast Car

    Know what this song is about? Does it mean anything special hidden between the lines to you? Share your meaning with community, make it interesting and valuable. Make sure you've read our simple tips

    Hey! It's useful.

    If this song really means something special to you, describe your feelings and thoughts. Don't hesitate to explain what songwriters and singer wanted to say. Also we collected some tips and tricks for you:

    • Don't write just "I love this song." Hidden between the lines, words and thoughts sometimes hold many different not yet explained meanings
    • Remember: your meaning might be valuable for someone
    • Don't post links to images and links to facts
    • Write correctly
    • Don't spam and write clearly off-topic meanings
    • Don't write abusive, vulgar, offensive, racist, threatening or harassing meanings
    • Do not post anything that you do not have the right to post
    • Please note: We moderate every meaning

    Follow these rules and your meaning will be published

    .
    Write song meaning
    Type your knowledge till "Good-o-meter" shows "Awesome!". Then send your meaning with "Post meaning" button. Get karma points!
    OK, got it!
    U
    Min 50 words
    Not bad
    Good
    Awesome!

    Top meanings Post my meaning

    • U
      + 9
      Unregistered
      Is about a desire to leave everything behind and start from new, because she thinks she deserve... Read more →
    • s
      + 7
      SKingi
      I finally esacaped an alcaholic's home with nicknamed men trapsing through, a mother's reputation... Read more →
    All Fast Car meanings →

    official video

    More Tracy Chapman lyrics

    Full lyrics and meanings of Fast Car performed by Tracy Chapman All Tracy Chapman Lyrics →

    Featured lyrics

    View 10 more explanations
    Add your explanation

    Write an explanation

    BoldItalicLinkAdd an image new!
    20 words
    Good
    Cool
    Awesome!

    Explanation guidelines:

    • Describe what artist is trying to say in a certain line, whether it's personal feelings, strong statement or something else.
    • Provide song facts, names, places and other worthy info that may give readers a perfect insight on the song's meaning.
    • Add links, pictures and videos to make your explanation more appealing. Provide quotes to support the facts you mention.
    Before you get started, be sure to check out these explanations created by our users: good, very good, great.

    Request explanation

    • Ask us or our community about the part of the song that interests you
    • We will try to respond as soon as possible
    ×
    Congratulations!
    Keep posting annotations and earn
    respect from LyricsMode community.
    Yep, I'm cool!
    0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

    [Intro][Verse][Pre-Chorus][Chorus][Hook][Bridge][Outro]