Born in Cleveland, Ohio,U.S., Tracy Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs as a child. She received a scholarship through A Better Chance that allowed her to attend Wooster School in Connecticut, and was eventually accepted to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.
Tracy Chapman helped restore songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven by simple melodies and affecting lyrics. At the time of her first album, there were only a handful of artists performing such a style successfully, and her success ushered in a new era of songwriters that lasted well into the '90s. Along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late '80s.
Official Website: http://www.tracychapman.com
Fansite: http://www.tracychapmanonline.com
Fast Car Lyrics.
Tracy Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace 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 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 finally see what it means to be living
You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
His body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's 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
Leave tonight or live and die this way
So 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
I had a feeling that I belonged
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
I work in a 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
I had a feeling that I belonged
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 would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
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
I had a feeling that I belonged
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
Leave tonight or live and die this way
Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is a song about seeking a better life and freedom from a difficult situation. The song is written from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who longs to escape a life of poverty and limited opportunity. She meets a man who has a fast car and convinces him to take her away with him. They dream of a life where they can both get jobs and experience a better standard of living. However, as the relationship progresses, it becomes clear that the man is not interested in leaving his old life behind, and the singer's hopes of a better life slowly fade away.
The lyrics to “Fast Car” are poignant and powerful, conveying the sense of longing and desperation that comes with wanting to escape a difficult situation. The chorus of the song, “You got a fast car/Is it fast enough so you can fly away?/You gotta make a decision/Leave tonight or live and die this way,” is a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt trapped by their circumstances.
The song has become an anthem for generations of young people who long for a better life, and it continues to inspire listeners to this day. It was released in 1988 on Tracy Chapman’s debut album, which went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. “Fast Car” remains one of Tracy Chapman’s most iconic songs and has been covered by numerous artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a fast car
You have a car that can take us places quickly
I want a ticket to anywhere
I want to go somewhere, anywhere, to escape my current situation
Maybe we make a deal
Perhaps we can work together to make our lives better
Maybe together we can get somewhere
By combining our efforts, we may be able to achieve our dreams
Anyplace is better
Anywhere is better than where I am now
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Since I have nothing, there is no risk in trying to improve my situation
Maybe we'll make something
Perhaps we can create a better life for ourselves
Me, myself I got nothing to prove
I don't need to prove anything to anyone, I just want a better life
I got a plan to get us out of here
I have a plan to escape our current situation
I been working at the convenience store
I have been working at a convenience store to save money
Managed to save just a little bit of money
I have only been able to save a small amount of money
Won't have to drive too far
We won't have to travel a long distance
Just 'cross the border and into the city
We just need to cross the border and enter the city
You and I can both get jobs
Both of us can find employment
And finally see what it means to be living
We will finally experience what it means to truly live
You see my old man's got a problem
My father has an issue with alcohol
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He has become dependent on alcohol
He says his body's too old for working
He believes he is too old to work
His body's too young to look like his
However, his body looks too young to be affected by alcohol
My mama went off and left him
My mother left my father for a better life
She wanted more from life than he could give
She desired a better life than my father could provide
I said somebody's got to take care of him
I realized that someone needed to care for my father
So I quit school and that's what I did
I left school to take care of my father
Is it fast enough so we can fly away
Can your car take us far enough to escape our current situation?
We gotta make a decision
We need to decide whether or not to take the chance and go
Leave tonight or live and die this way
If we don't leave now, we may be stuck in our current situation forever
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
The car was moving so quickly that it felt like I was intoxicated
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
I felt comforted by you holding onto me
I had a feeling that I belonged
For the first time in a long time, I felt like I fit in somewhere
I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone
I felt like I had the potential to achieve great things
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
We drive around to pass the time
You still ain't got a job
You are still unemployed
I know things will get better
I have faith that our situation will improve
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
Things will get better for both of us, you will find a job and I will move up in my career
We'll move out of the shelter
We will be able to leave our current living situation
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs
We will be able to afford a nicer home in a better area
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
Is your car fast enough for you to escape your own problems?
Leave tonight or live and die this way
If you don't leave now, you may never be able to escape your problems
I got a job that pays all our bills
I have found a job that provides enough money to support us
You stay out drinking late at the bar
You spend too much time drinking instead of being with our family
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
You prioritize spending time with your friends over spending time with our children
I'd always hoped for better
I had always imagined that our life would be better than this
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I had hoped that by working together, we could create a better life for ourselves
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
I have no plans for the future and I am not going anywhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
You can take your car and leave, I am done trying to make things work
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRACY L CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@steevo211
This song is soo important to so many of us around the world..
ACOA.. Etc.
And for us affected in Australia, our Parents, our Friends, ex Vets, and especially at the moment those who have had to suffer too much due to A Predjudice that we wish never existed in the FIRST PLACE..
And all we have to say; Here in the land of Aus is..
If the Elders and Indigenous Of This County/Continant Or Land Say;
NO, Untill THEY FEEL HEARD, then We SHOULD RESPECT THAT..Until THEY Do.
NO.
@davidb5711
I've loved this song since it was released. More recently, I've studied trauma and adverse childhood conditions, and I can say this song so poignantly captures the desperate plight of so many souls. Look at the way that the song seems to meander in the first half in the same locked pattern – like locked-in patterns of emotional lives. This musical repetition seems to go on longer than is usually expected in a song: when we think it ought to break into a chorus, it returns to "You got a fast car..." and holds the same pattern – building a tension which makes the break, when it comes, more powerful. The chorus "I remember we were driving..." is that emotional outpour, not quite a dam burst, but a surge of desperate hope fueled by one single moment in time where everything felt right, or right enough, in which she glimpsed a fleeting vision of how life could and should be, where she felt she belonged and could be someone. "Be someone, be someone," echoes the desperation of those whose thwarted ambitions are inextricably bound in self-defeating patterns and trauma. And then the musical surge is lost and, true to the nature of emotional dissociation, we go back again to the repetition of "You got a fast car..." In writing the song, Tracy was surely too young to have technical knowledge of things like trauma and dissociation – and yet it's there – she knew it introspectively, and captured it instinctively as an artist in the lyrics and how they are woven with the music. The song doesn't flinch in honestly portraying that positive dreams aren't enough for so many people who hold on to the vision for a while, as reality continues to fail to meet it, and it becomes less real to them, until that one inspiring memory of feeling a sense of belonging loses its power as emotional fuel for the future, and comes to be just a memory of a moment in one's past, though a memory still worth cherishing. The song has been beautifully breaking my heart for 35 years.
@QueenB-cr5sr
Lol 2:54
@QueenB-cr5sr
😂🎉😢😮😅😊 4:43
@sherrilnichols157
I love your interpretation of this song. It's right on
@kristenghaffarian9039
Precisely… someone who hears songs like I do!! 👏🏽👏🏽
@PrometheusForever
What in the hell, do your write for Rolling Stone???
@willownalla6764
I've loved this song since it 1st came out. (I think it was 1988) It hits just as hard now as it did back then. I miss this kind of music, it make u feel like the artist is just singing from experience. I understand why and share Luke Comb's love of this song, and thanks to him, people are reminded of why our hearts were moved.
@ryanwitman8672
As a boy, I remember hearing this song on the radio in my Nan’s 1990s maroon Plymouth Acclaim. We were picking up my older cousin from middle school (He’s married and had a baby now) I totally forgot this song existed until the recent cover by Luke Combs started playing on the radio. I love his version and I’m glad it brought me back to that nice memory
@ericab936
Well said. 😥😊
@Sam.2711
Wish I’d experienced this time!
I was born in 98’ and I’m so happy that I’m the last generation that grew up without smartphones,insta,YouTube list goes on!