"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.
A world become one of salads and sun
Only a fool would say that
A boy with a plan, a natural man
Wearing a white Stetson hat
Unhand that gun begone
There's no one to fire upon
If he's holding it high
He's telling a lie
I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
The man in the street dragging his feet
Don't wanna hear the bad news
Imagine your face there is his place
Standing inside his brown shoes
You do his nine to five
Drag yourself home half alive
And there on the screen
A man with a dream
I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
Anybody on the street
Has murder in his eyes
You feel no pain
And you're younger than you realize
Only a fool would say that
Only a fool
I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
Only a fool would say that
Only a fool would say that
Only a fool would say that
A boy with a plan, a natural man
Wearing a white Stetson hat
Unhand that gun begone
There's no one to fire upon
If he's holding it high
He's telling a lie
I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
The man in the street dragging his feet
Don't wanna hear the bad news
Imagine your face there is his place
Standing inside his brown shoes
You do his nine to five
Drag yourself home half alive
And there on the screen
A man with a dream
I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
Anybody on the street
Has murder in his eyes
You feel no pain
And you're younger than you realize
Only a fool would say that
Only a fool
I heard it was you
Talking 'bout a world where all is free
It just couldn't be
And only a fool would say that
Only a fool would say that
Only a fool would say that
Lyrics submitted by AbFab, edited by larry10289
Only a Fool Would Say That Lyrics as written by Walter Carl Becker Donald Fagen
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Some have commented about how this song might be a repudiation of the late 60's/early 70's idealism of Lennon and other musicians. I think it's more complicated than that. While there are a number of SD songs of that era which were critical of the counterculture, I do believe that both Don and Walt were sympathetic to the ideals - it was just that they didn't think the counterculture was doing anything productive toward achieving those ideals.
In that respect, it seems to me that this song is more Randy Newman-esque in giving voice to a character outside of themselves. A character who is ridiculing the Lennons as well as a lot of straw men, but also thinks that only a fool could believe in a better world.
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@jaymeister - Pair this track from 1972 with the Who's Won't Get Fooled Again (1971). Both songs first verses included references to guns. <br /> <br /> IMO both songs are about the failure/failings of the counterculture from the late 1960s to accomplish their goals. IMO the 2nd verse on this song basically says "just put yourself in the shoes of the average working man who dragging around 9 to 5 all day, you get home, flick on the TV and see someone is propagandizing about how great the world could be, if only... and you, tired, just don't want to hear about it. Life is hard enough to listen to bad news, and you a working man knows nothing is free so the guy on the TV is a fool to say that."