"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.
Have mercy, baby, on a poor girl like me
You know I'm falling, falling, falling, at your feet
I'm tingling right from my head to my toes
So help me, help me, help me make the feeling go
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
And there's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Have pity, baby, just when I thought it was over
And now you got me running, running, running for cover
I'm begging you for a little sympathy
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Baby, baby, hope you're going to stay away
'Cause I'm getting weaker, weaker, every day
I guess I'm not as strong as I used to be
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Say that you love me
Say that you love me
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
You know I'm falling, falling, falling, at your feet
I'm tingling right from my head to my toes
So help me, help me, help me make the feeling go
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
And there's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Have pity, baby, just when I thought it was over
And now you got me running, running, running for cover
I'm begging you for a little sympathy
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Baby, baby, hope you're going to stay away
'Cause I'm getting weaker, weaker, every day
I guess I'm not as strong as I used to be
And if you use me again it'll be the end of me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
'Cause when the loving starts, and the lights go down
There's not another living soul around
You woo me until the sun comes up
And you say that you love me
Say that you love me
Say that you love me
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
Falling falling falling
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