"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.
everything has got a sense
a permanence attached to it
sucks you in and feeds you till
finally you're used to it
and now you're so dependent
now you're so defensive
now you're finding reasons
why they're all wrong
so in love with
all your vices
you can't change
or move on
and it comes to this
such tragic endings
you shake your fists
just stop pretending
it comes to this
such tragic endings
it's hit or miss
just stop pretending now
now everyone keeps asking you
"what exactly happened?"
you've got all these excuses but
you don't have an answer
'cause you don't know yourself
you don't know your own weaknesses
you're always innocent
because you're never honest
so wrapped up in
your perspective
morality's become an opinion
it comes to this
such tragic endings
you shake your fists
just stop pretending
it comes to this
such tragic endings
it's hit or miss
just stop pretending now
you wanted to be left alone
wanted someone to say
"boy i'm always here for you"
but you can't have it both ways
no, no one knows what you've done
no one knows what you've done
no one knows what you've done
and it's just as well
the only thing that comforts me is
knowing that you'll never be happy
a permanence attached to it
sucks you in and feeds you till
finally you're used to it
and now you're so dependent
now you're so defensive
now you're finding reasons
why they're all wrong
so in love with
all your vices
you can't change
or move on
and it comes to this
such tragic endings
you shake your fists
just stop pretending
it comes to this
such tragic endings
it's hit or miss
just stop pretending now
now everyone keeps asking you
"what exactly happened?"
you've got all these excuses but
you don't have an answer
'cause you don't know yourself
you don't know your own weaknesses
you're always innocent
because you're never honest
so wrapped up in
your perspective
morality's become an opinion
it comes to this
such tragic endings
you shake your fists
just stop pretending
it comes to this
such tragic endings
it's hit or miss
just stop pretending now
you wanted to be left alone
wanted someone to say
"boy i'm always here for you"
but you can't have it both ways
no, no one knows what you've done
no one knows what you've done
no one knows what you've done
and it's just as well
the only thing that comforts me is
knowing that you'll never be happy
Lyrics submitted by almostmanda
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idk I think TBS's "Follow the Format" is a pretty good zing back at John.