Life in the Fast Lane

I like to read English song lyrics, because they often contain interesting slang terms and beautiful poetic expressions. However, I sometimes find it difficult to tell the difference between expressions written poetically by the artists themselves and those that are commonly used figuratively in conversation.

Here’s a quote from the lyrics of the song called Ferrari by one of my favorite artists, Bebe Rexha:

I’m a Ferrari
Pulled off on Mulholland Drive
Over the city, the lights are so pretty from up here
I’m a Ferrari
And after the party’s done
I keep on going, missing the moments
Living in the fast lane’s getting kinda lonely¹

I read these lyrics quite a while ago, but it was not until today that I realized that the phrase “live in the fast lane” or its variant is actually a common expression (partly because “I’m a Ferrari” is obviously not a common expression). The term “fast lane” refers to “a lane of a highway for use by traffic that is moving faster than the rest”. It also figuratively means “a lifestyle which is fast-paced, glamorous, hectic, or highly pressured, etc.”.

Instead of “life in the fast lane”, several compounds are sometimes used, such as “fast-lane lifestyle” or “fast-lane living”.