"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.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
Come on try and tell me what you're talkin' about
Those things you're dealing with, you're living a lie
Every time I see you it makes me wanna cry
Sometimes we laughed and talked, seems like yesterday
Then you let the white horse come and take you away
They came to get you, it was cold and black
The wheels were in motion, there was no turning back
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil
I gave up on you a long time ago
But there's something I want you to know
Your lyin' and cheatin' really tore us apart
Please don't come home if you're gonna break my momma's heart
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil
Runnin', runnin', runnin', yeah
Don't make me cry again, no, no, oh
Love that stayin' by
Love that you make me cry
You're runnin', you're runnin'
You're runnin', runnin, runnin', runnin'
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, no
Runnin' from an angel
Runnin' to the devil, devil, devil, devil
Runnin' from an angel
Time is singing by, time you made me cry, oh, oh
You'll do what you gotta do, I still love you
Come on try and tell me what you're talkin' about
Those things you're dealing with, you're living a lie
Every time I see you it makes me wanna cry
Sometimes we laughed and talked, seems like yesterday
Then you let the white horse come and take you away
They came to get you, it was cold and black
The wheels were in motion, there was no turning back
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil
I gave up on you a long time ago
But there's something I want you to know
Your lyin' and cheatin' really tore us apart
Please don't come home if you're gonna break my momma's heart
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil
Runnin', runnin', runnin', yeah
Don't make me cry again, no, no, oh
Love that stayin' by
Love that you make me cry
You're runnin', you're runnin'
You're runnin', runnin, runnin', runnin'
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, no
Runnin' from an angel
Runnin' to the devil, devil, devil, devil
Runnin' from an angel
Time is singing by, time you made me cry, oh, oh
You'll do what you gotta do, I still love you
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Heard him say about 20 years ago it's definitely about his older brother who was a drug addict at the time.