"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.
Now! Peel the skin back from the flesh.
Steal the flesh back from the starving static minds.
From nature we must stray, to clarity we'll climb.
Deadly impulse seems so natural,
just look beyond it and we'll find a brand new evolution.
Here begins a brand new line.
And in the distance there's a gathering,
that no longer seems so far away.
Pushed to our knees so let us pray,
and all together we'll bring the real rain.
Watch all that's wasted wash away, so let it come.
Our will be done.
Stature retrieved, regain our form.
Break free from instinct that's left us all confined.
From nature we must stray to clarity we'll climb.
Tradition ingrained, now impermissible.
Now comes a call for all to find a brand new evolution.
Here begins a brand new line.
I can't help but fear, look to my species and tremble,
to think that God is just...
And in the distance there's a gathering that no longer seems so far away.
Steal the flesh back from the starving static minds.
From nature we must stray, to clarity we'll climb.
Deadly impulse seems so natural,
just look beyond it and we'll find a brand new evolution.
Here begins a brand new line.
And in the distance there's a gathering,
that no longer seems so far away.
Pushed to our knees so let us pray,
and all together we'll bring the real rain.
Watch all that's wasted wash away, so let it come.
Our will be done.
Stature retrieved, regain our form.
Break free from instinct that's left us all confined.
From nature we must stray to clarity we'll climb.
Tradition ingrained, now impermissible.
Now comes a call for all to find a brand new evolution.
Here begins a brand new line.
I can't help but fear, look to my species and tremble,
to think that God is just...
And in the distance there's a gathering that no longer seems so far away.
Lyrics submitted by oofus
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I agree with samuraideli and Madcappunk. I completely diagree with passionsignite, though.."all together we'll bring the real rain" doesn't have to mean anything about a flood, with "Deadly impluse seems so natural, just look beyond it and we'll find a brand new evolution" means that if you look beyond what YOU feel, and begin to be open-minded, you'll "find a brand new evolution", and that's what he's saying when he says "break free from instinct that's left us all confined", too...