"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.
You can't see
Don't understand
You must be frightened
Or just stupid
You want everything?
Well, you must be joking
Grand Babylon
So much to answer for
Black and white
Corrosion of all
You want everything?
Well, you must be joking
Corrosion burning it down
Kerosene burning it down
You can't hear
Dialog of the deaf
Dumb and blind
But still in one mind
You kill what you fear
Well, you must be joking
Don't understand
You must be frightened
Or just stupid
You want everything?
Well, you must be joking
Grand Babylon
So much to answer for
Black and white
Corrosion of all
You want everything?
Well, you must be joking
Corrosion burning it down
Kerosene burning it down
You can't hear
Dialog of the deaf
Dumb and blind
But still in one mind
You kill what you fear
Well, you must be joking
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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