What does Chasing Cars mean?

Snow Patrol: Chasing Cars Meaning

Album cover for Chasing Cars album cover

Chasing Cars Lyrics

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too...

  1. anonymous
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    Jun 10th 2015 !⃝

    I feel (believe) that the song is about a love nipped in the bud as the 'person' singing the song has died - probably suddenly and the rememberences and confusion are swirling around the souls thoughts. And the 1st thoughts are about why he/she's alone. Thoughts and feelings are jumbled and the deceased feels that if the loved one could just lay with him/her that that perfect garden would burst right into life. Yes, we think we are alone in life and I imagine if the bond of love helps with the confusion of transition, then we would seek that person out to help us make sense of it.
    I fell in LOVE with this song from the 1st time I heard it. It hits me at levels that I can't express. Including the fact that Jesus or an Angel comes to my mind and is the one being asked to stay and help that soul to understand what's going on.
    I could be way off mark, however is that not the purpose of art that we each get the feeling from the piece of art that most connects with us.

  2. anonymous
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    Oct 31st 2014 !⃝

    I absolutely love this song, but it's a sad song for me as my husband and I listened to this a lot during the last few months of his life, as he tried to fight cancer.

  3. anonymous
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    Oct 16th 2014 !⃝

    I know most people feel this is an adorable love song, but it doesn't have to be. For me, it describes my relationship with my best friend. I'm a girl, he's a boy, but he's really like my brother. We can just sit and just BE in the same space, not doing anything else, just sharing ideas and making two minds becoming one. When we say I love you, we both have super complicated meanings, but in a basis we know we will be in each other's lives forever. I know love songs are popular, but people should try to open their minds to other interpretations.

  4. anonymous
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    Aug 13th 2014 !⃝

    The singer wants the other to step away from everything just for a little while and be with him. Forget about all the troubles of the world and life. He loves the person so much that just merely saying I love you is not good enough those words are said to much those words are not enough to express the way he feels.

  5. anonymous
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    Jun 20th 2014 !⃝

    It's about forgetting everything for a time and just being with that person. No words are even needed just being together they feel it. A want, a need and desire to have that person close with no distractions.

  6. anonymous
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    Apr 22nd 2014 !⃝

    I've heard this song before, but never put any energy into absorbing its meaning until my ex boyfriend sent it to me a couple of weeks after the relationship ended. I don't know what the song means for him, but for me it reminds me of his spirit. He was the one who wanted us to simply "be" with each other, without words, without the influences of others, or our circumstances. Unfortunately, our differences were too great to work through, and while we still cared for each other "these three words/are said to much/are not enough." I think this song is someone reflecting on a relationship he once had; honoring the beauty of the memory, and inviting her into his world...

  7. anonymous
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    Feb 15th 2014 !⃝

    Two people connecting on a deep level like kindred spirits. Wanting to step away from everyone and everything and be alone for awhile. Another possible meaning could be a sort of soulmate connection. "I don't know where, confused about how as well. Just know that these things will never change for us at all". They will forever have a connection. Regardless of time and space their bond will remain. Even if they never get that time alone. Whatever the real meaning is I don't know but this is what I get from this song. It's beautiful.

  8. anonymous
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    Jan 25th 2014 !⃝

    LOVE! Simple interpretation it's all about LOVE. The most beautiful feeling.

  9. anonymous
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    Nov 3rd 2013 !⃝

    They belong together but are not together. Sad. Trying to enjoy what little time they have together. "If I just lay here would lie with me and forget the world".

  10. anonymous
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    Oct 17th 2013 !⃝

    I agree with the 10/10/13 submission. It is very sad they are not together even though these thing(feelings)have never changed for them at all. Just remember, you never know what the future holds and you never know for sure that they will not be together. If they want to be together then they will find a way....never say never!!

  11. anonymous
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    Oct 10th 2013 !⃝

    I think this is about two persons deeply in love, but they are not together. Because maybe they are already in relationships with someone else, maybe have families. The really sad part:

    I don't know where
    Confused about how as well
    Just know that these things will never change for us at all

    How should this ever work out? Will it they ever be together? They'll forever be in love, but never together.

  12. anonymous
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    Jun 23rd 2013 !⃝

    Music is a wonderful thing to find words to match your feelings. The word, "interpretation" is just that, what it means to you. If you want to know what the author was trying to convey, would lead you to ask him or her what was in his heart as he wrote his words.
    This song to me was written about a found love many years after it happened. My love has been refound so many years after the fact, 52 years to be exact.I found that special person 52 years after she made such an impact on my life."forget what we are told , before we get too old, show me a garden, yours that is bursting into life"!
    We have reconnected in our golden years for a reason so I can finally find the words. "I do not quite know, how to say, how I feel". My mouth was silenced by my fear of rejection.Those three words, "I love you" were always said too often to try to make an impact on your emotions! Now we have lived our lives, we know they are never said enough!
    Now many years later we did get to lay next to each other,it was not a sexual minute rather a connection of our spirits. "If I lay here, would you just lie with me?, and just forget the world"? We did indeed! There was a heat and a passion that there was no mistaking! " before we are too old show me a garden that is bursting to life".
    " all that I am, all that I ever was, is in your perfect eyes and they are all I can see"! "I do not know where, confused about how as well, just know these things, will never change for us"!
    Yes my Suzi the words have now been spoken and even if we never see our garden burst into life you will know what you have always meant to me! Even if nothing else I hope our friendship will last us the years!
    Although we may waste time chasing cars we will be together doing it! I just hope that you will lay beside me and share our love!

  13. anonymous
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    Jun 21st 2013 !⃝

    This song to me is a very touching love song and has special meaning. I once had a special friend in my life and this song describes what we were feeling and going through a few years back. Unfortunately, the special friend is no longer in my life, but I heard this song today & it brought me back to a very meaningful day we spent together, on this first day of summer, a few years ago. It was a beautiful day that I hope he cherishes as much as I do. Even though the reasons we are not together are for all the right reasons, I still miss him (some days more than others and today is one of those days). I’m sure he is very happy now and I am very glad for him. I am equally as happy, the happiest I have been for many years, but I still miss my special friend. Just can’t seem to get him out of my mind even after all these years. We shared such a special bond that I don’t think I can ever forget because he pierced my heart so deeply that “these things will never change for us”. We once said to each other, we don’t want to be sitting in our rockers at 80 years old, wondering “what if”. Unfortunately, the “what if” will be our reality and we will never know how things would have turned out if we were not too afraid to close the one door & walk through the hallway to open a new door, to meet the other standing there with open arms, waiting to show each other the garden that would have burst into life being together. Again, even though I am extremely happy, that does make me sad because I truly believe our love was “a love you find once in a life time (one unfortunately found with the right person at the wrong time)” and we walked away. I saw my special friend a month ago, but I was too afraid to approach him to say hello. I don’t know if he ever wants to talk to me again so I stayed away and that made me sad. I certainly would have loved to say hello and ask how he is doing. I hope he doesn’t think he could not approach me either because that’s not the case at all. I believe things happen for a reason and this special friend came into my life for a reason. He taught me about friendship, kindness & how love should be experienced. Yes, it’s very sad we can’t be in each other’s lives, even as friends, but even though it was for a short time, I am so thankful he was in my life. Happy first day of summer!! jv :)

  14. anonymous
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    Apr 13th 2013 !⃝

    From the first time I heard this song it touched me and was instantly my favourite song. My young song also loved it and we use to play it all the time. It was about 7 months later that my 14 year old son died instantly in a work place accident. Chasing Cars was so close to my heart as it was our song in which was played at his funeral. Six years later whenever I am feeling down suddenly Chasing Cars comes on the radio and to me I know my son is around and is letting me know everything is okay. I believe it is the most beautiful song in the world and has many different meanings when it comes to true love.

  15. anonymous
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    Mar 8th 2013 !⃝

    It is about infatuation and what he wants love to be -- hence the term chasing cars like a dog who cannot obtain the car and would not know what to do with it if he caught it. It is an idealization of how he wants to be in love and with the object of his desire. Sweet, but unrealistic and unobtainable. We all chase on and work through our relationships regardless.




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