Listening Practice: Tracy Chapman - Fast Car (Official Music Video)
Watch this music video by Tracy Chapman and answer the questions that follow with your tutor.
Questions
Did you enjoy this song?
What do you think she is singing about?
Where does she want a ticket to?
What does she want to do?
What does she think will happen when they get there?
Where did she work first to save a little bit of money?
What is her old man's problem?
Why did her mother leave her father?
Why did Tracy leave school?
What decision do they have to make?
What do you think the chorus means?
Where do they live when she works at the market as a checkout girl?
Where does she hope they will live if she gets promoted?
Why does she want him to fly away?
What do you think about what happened in this story?
Lyrics
You got a fast car,
I wanna ticket to anywhere,
Maybe we can make a deal,
Maybe together we can get somewhere,
Any place is better,
Startin' from zero, got nothin' to lose,
Maybe we'll make somethin',
Me myself I've got nothin' to prove.
You got a fast car,
I got a plan to get us outta here,
Been working at a convenience store,
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We 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 livin'.
See, my old man's got a problem,
He live with the bottle, that's the way it is
He say his body's too old for workin',
I say 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,
We leave tonight or live an' die this way.
CHORUS
'cause I remember when we were drivin',
Drivin' in your car,
Speeds 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, I had a feelin' that I belonged,
I, I had a feelin' I could be someone,
Be someone,
Be someone.
You got a fast car,
We go cruisin', entertain ourselves,
You still ain't got a job,
Now I work in the market as a checkout girl,
I know things'll get better,
You'll find work and I'll get promoted,
And we'll move out of the shelter,
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs.
CHORUS
'cause I remember when we were drivin',
Drivin' in your car,
Speeds 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, I had a feelin' that I belonged,
I, I had a feelin' 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 drinkin' 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 goin' nowhere,
So take your fast car and keep on drivin'.
You got a fast car,
Is it fast enough, so you can fly away?
You gotta make a decision,
You leave tonight or live and die this way.