"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
The morning light comes stealing
To start a new day
Out there the world is waiting
To take us far away
And it's time to make
The final break
But the memory will linger forever
If I never see you again
And think of me now and then
Though it hurts so sweetly
They say all good things come to an end
You've changed my life completely
I'm touched by your love
Even if I never see you again
The night is so unforgiving, yeah
And I'm on my own
I realize what I'm missing
And now that you've gone
So I say a prayer
Are you out there
Are you feeling what I'm feeling now, yeah
If I never see you again
And think of me now and then
Though it hurts so deeply
They say all good things come to an end
You've changed my life completely
I'm touched by your love
Even if I never see you
If I never see you again
And if I never see you again
No one can tell you how the story ends
Where the road will lead
When love begins, yeah
You've changed my life completely
I'm touched by your love
Even if I never see you
If I never see you
Even if I never see you again
And If I never see you
To start a new day
Out there the world is waiting
To take us far away
And it's time to make
The final break
But the memory will linger forever
If I never see you again
And think of me now and then
Though it hurts so sweetly
They say all good things come to an end
You've changed my life completely
I'm touched by your love
Even if I never see you again
The night is so unforgiving, yeah
And I'm on my own
I realize what I'm missing
And now that you've gone
So I say a prayer
Are you out there
Are you feeling what I'm feeling now, yeah
If I never see you again
And think of me now and then
Though it hurts so deeply
They say all good things come to an end
You've changed my life completely
I'm touched by your love
Even if I never see you
If I never see you again
And if I never see you again
No one can tell you how the story ends
Where the road will lead
When love begins, yeah
You've changed my life completely
I'm touched by your love
Even if I never see you
If I never see you
Even if I never see you again
And If I never see you
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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