"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.
This is a new garden over old flowers
And old makes old jokes take on the feel of the lore
And new lips are cradled sense of humor,
So don't waste wishes on him
Wish that one day they'd figure out how to shrink stars and I could keep one in my bedroom
And wish that me and her could grow old together
And wish that in my next life I come back as a tiger
These are fun wishes
In about seven minutes you can start
'Til then, you'll just listen to the radio from seat's edge
As if then it's the look on your face
As if, as if then you'll matter
And then I can't wait
And old makes old jokes take on the feel of the lore
And new lips are cradled sense of humor,
So don't waste wishes on him
Wish that one day they'd figure out how to shrink stars and I could keep one in my bedroom
And wish that me and her could grow old together
And wish that in my next life I come back as a tiger
These are fun wishes
In about seven minutes you can start
'Til then, you'll just listen to the radio from seat's edge
As if then it's the look on your face
As if, as if then you'll matter
And then I can't wait
Lyrics submitted by APartOfMeDies
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