"Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire is a song that expresses feelings of fear, anxiety, and a desire to escape. The lyrics suggest that the narrator is haunted by a nameless terror that has been with them since before they can remember. This fear is so deep that they cannot fully express it and it makes it difficult for them to stay in one place for too long. They dream of leaving, of keeping the car running so they can escape when the time comes.

The chorus speaks to the idea that the people who are coming for the narrator know their name, but not necessarily their whereabouts or when they will come. It's a sense of impending doom that is hanging over the narrator's head, making it difficult for them to relax or feel at ease.

The third verse suggests that the fear is so deep that it's like death itself, a place where animals go to die. This makes it hard for the narrator to imagine coming back home or staying in any one place for too long. The sense of being trapped and unable to escape the fear is overwhelming.

Overall, "Keep the Car Running" is a song about fear, anxiety, and the desire to escape. It's a plea to keep moving forward and to never stop, to keep running away from the fear and the terror that haunt the narrator. The song ends on a note of uncertainty, with the plea to keep the car running, suggesting that the journey is ongoing and that there may never be a clear end in sight.