"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.
In your land of milk and honey who controls your cows and bees
Are you ever really treated that fairly
In your world of light so dark that its too dark for me to see
Is this really what you'd call prosperity
CHORUS:
I thought I'd seen the end then again what might have been
Never would have been without original sin
Fighting words are lures and those weak minded roam the sea
Where nothing is as it appears to be
You had the world by the tail but you had to set it free
Now you realize it won't come back easily
Chorus X2
In your world of one alone the only one who counts is she
Since she's dead she said she'd never disagree
Chorus
Your words are ropes of sand your wisdom bites the hand
Rhetorical questions forever stand
Chorus
Are you ever really treated that fairly
In your world of light so dark that its too dark for me to see
Is this really what you'd call prosperity
CHORUS:
I thought I'd seen the end then again what might have been
Never would have been without original sin
Fighting words are lures and those weak minded roam the sea
Where nothing is as it appears to be
You had the world by the tail but you had to set it free
Now you realize it won't come back easily
Chorus X2
In your world of one alone the only one who counts is she
Since she's dead she said she'd never disagree
Chorus
Your words are ropes of sand your wisdom bites the hand
Rhetorical questions forever stand
Chorus
Lyrics submitted by MooWasHere
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