"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.
imposing western plans
over in foreign lands
with bombs we scorch the soil
to fill our hands with visceral
we reap in their estate
and wonder why they hate
theres just no right or wrong
ill praise the night that shit'll go
chorus:
two towers falling down
while we just sit around
we're flying friendly skies
until the city dies
and neither one will save
the human history
and while the world is full
this is a vital call
i pledge allegience to the flag
top the bottle with an oily rag
we're building up and on em fast
to destroy the pigs and break the upper class
im only one this is my voice
but you're gonna have ta make a choice
i dont care if you disagree
'cause this fucking thing
it means the whole world to me
we won't be in distress
by all the millionaires
this time the truth is told
and you'll think their deaths would be miners gold
our freedom's been misplaced
while god is spitting red
the worlds your shooting range
im gonna spare some change
to uphold the stock exchange
chorus x2
..and choose what you did in the stock exchange
for a piece of the action you cant afford
for the victims of the IMF
and the cancelled war
all your weapons killed for foreign gas
city model of the steel and glass
i know your daddy died in the twins
but he was just a pawn for the world bank imperialists
over in foreign lands
with bombs we scorch the soil
to fill our hands with visceral
we reap in their estate
and wonder why they hate
theres just no right or wrong
ill praise the night that shit'll go
chorus:
two towers falling down
while we just sit around
we're flying friendly skies
until the city dies
and neither one will save
the human history
and while the world is full
this is a vital call
i pledge allegience to the flag
top the bottle with an oily rag
we're building up and on em fast
to destroy the pigs and break the upper class
im only one this is my voice
but you're gonna have ta make a choice
i dont care if you disagree
'cause this fucking thing
it means the whole world to me
we won't be in distress
by all the millionaires
this time the truth is told
and you'll think their deaths would be miners gold
our freedom's been misplaced
while god is spitting red
the worlds your shooting range
im gonna spare some change
to uphold the stock exchange
chorus x2
..and choose what you did in the stock exchange
for a piece of the action you cant afford
for the victims of the IMF
and the cancelled war
all your weapons killed for foreign gas
city model of the steel and glass
i know your daddy died in the twins
but he was just a pawn for the world bank imperialists
Lyrics submitted by walken
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Fast Car
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Rather, Casey Royer said,
"I love my country, yes it's true But I fear my government and so should you."