"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.
They crowded up to Lenin with their noses worn off
A handshake is worthy if it's all that you've got
Metal shivs on wood push through our back
There's a splinter in your eye and it reads, "React"
They shifted the statues for harboring ghosts
Reddened their necks, collared their clothes
Then we danced the dance 'til the menace got out
She gathered the corners and called it her gown
She said
Oh, please, find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
They crowded up to Lenin with their noses worn off
A handshake is worthy if it's all that you've got
Metal shivs on wood push through our back
There's a splinter in your eye and it reads, "React"
R-E-A-C-T
Oh, please, find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
They shifted the statues for harboring ghosts
Reddened their necks and collared their clothes
Then we danced the dance 'til the menace got out
She gathered the corners and called it her gown
She said
Oh, please, find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
A handshake is worthy if it's all that you've got
Metal shivs on wood push through our back
There's a splinter in your eye and it reads, "React"
They shifted the statues for harboring ghosts
Reddened their necks, collared their clothes
Then we danced the dance 'til the menace got out
She gathered the corners and called it her gown
She said
Oh, please, find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
They crowded up to Lenin with their noses worn off
A handshake is worthy if it's all that you've got
Metal shivs on wood push through our back
There's a splinter in your eye and it reads, "React"
R-E-A-C-T
Oh, please, find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
They shifted the statues for harboring ghosts
Reddened their necks and collared their clothes
Then we danced the dance 'til the menace got out
She gathered the corners and called it her gown
She said
Oh, please, find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Find my harborcoat
Can't go outside without it
Lyrics submitted by xpankfrisst, edited by epiwoosh
Harborcoat Lyrics as written by Peter Buck Bill Berry
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
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This song (or at least a large part of it) is about the Jews in Nazi Germany. Listen carefully and you'll hear the line is actually, "they've shifted the STATUTES for harboring ghosts" - statutes as in laws - the laws forbidding the harboring Jewish people in one's home.
This makes the chorus make a lot of sense - Jews weren't allowed to walk around in public without a patch sewn on their coats with the six-pointed star identifying them as such. "Can't go outside without it."