"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.
You'd better watch what you're wearing
If you want him to come 'round and see you tonight
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
But he doesn't care what it looks like
Just as long as it's pink and it's tight
It's what he likes
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
Ooh, so what should you do?
Should you stop being you?
Just to be how he wants you?
Ooh, go and visit your mum
And tell me that you'll come
And meet me in the afternoon
Ooh, he's got your heart
You've got his soul
You might as well know
So what?
I know you're never going to be with me
But do you understand now that maybe
You got it right first time?
I realize that you'll never leave him
But every now and then in the evening
You could get it right first time
I know you think I've got to be joking
And if you touch him again then I'm going
Oh, you got it right first time
Get it right first time
And now you've done it once
Now he wants you to wear your pink glove all the time
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
Ooh, so what should you do?
Should you stop being you?
Just to be how he wants you?
Ooh, go and visit your mum
And tell me that you'll come
And meet me in the afternoon
Ooh, he's got your heart
You've got his soul
You might as well know
So what?
I know you're never going to be with me
But do you understand now that maybe
You got it right first time?
I realize that you'll never leave him
But every now and then in the evening
You could get it right first time
I know you think I've got to be joking
And if you touch him again then I'm going
Oh, you got it right first time
Get it right first time
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh you'll always be together
'Cause he gets you up in leather
And you know what to wear at the end of the day
And I'd laugh if I saw, but I'm out of the way
Yeah it's too long ago, shouldn't care anymore
But I wanted to know, is it as good as before?
Yeah, it's hard to believe that you'd go for that stuff
All those baby-doll nighties, synthetic fluff
Oh, it looks pretty good
Yeah, it fits you okay, yeah
Wear your pink glove, babe
You put it on the wrong way
So
I know you're never going to be with me
Do you understand now that maybe
You got it right first time?
I realize that you'll never leave him
But every now and then in the evening
You could get it right first time
I know you think I've got to be joking
And if you touch him again then I'm going
Oh, you got it right first time, yeah
Oh, I know that you'll never leave him
Ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, did you see yet?
You got it right first time
Get it right first time
If you want him to come 'round and see you tonight
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
But he doesn't care what it looks like
Just as long as it's pink and it's tight
It's what he likes
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
Ooh, so what should you do?
Should you stop being you?
Just to be how he wants you?
Ooh, go and visit your mum
And tell me that you'll come
And meet me in the afternoon
Ooh, he's got your heart
You've got his soul
You might as well know
So what?
I know you're never going to be with me
But do you understand now that maybe
You got it right first time?
I realize that you'll never leave him
But every now and then in the evening
You could get it right first time
I know you think I've got to be joking
And if you touch him again then I'm going
Oh, you got it right first time
Get it right first time
And now you've done it once
Now he wants you to wear your pink glove all the time
Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
Ooh, so what should you do?
Should you stop being you?
Just to be how he wants you?
Ooh, go and visit your mum
And tell me that you'll come
And meet me in the afternoon
Ooh, he's got your heart
You've got his soul
You might as well know
So what?
I know you're never going to be with me
But do you understand now that maybe
You got it right first time?
I realize that you'll never leave him
But every now and then in the evening
You could get it right first time
I know you think I've got to be joking
And if you touch him again then I'm going
Oh, you got it right first time
Get it right first time
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh you'll always be together
'Cause he gets you up in leather
And you know what to wear at the end of the day
And I'd laugh if I saw, but I'm out of the way
Yeah it's too long ago, shouldn't care anymore
But I wanted to know, is it as good as before?
Yeah, it's hard to believe that you'd go for that stuff
All those baby-doll nighties, synthetic fluff
Oh, it looks pretty good
Yeah, it fits you okay, yeah
Wear your pink glove, babe
You put it on the wrong way
So
I know you're never going to be with me
Do you understand now that maybe
You got it right first time?
I realize that you'll never leave him
But every now and then in the evening
You could get it right first time
I know you think I've got to be joking
And if you touch him again then I'm going
Oh, you got it right first time, yeah
Oh, I know that you'll never leave him
Ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, did you see yet?
You got it right first time
Get it right first time
Lyrics submitted by pinkglove, edited by mistermark
Pink Glove Lyrics as written by Jarvis Branson Cocker Candida Doyle
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Pink glove" is referring to lingerie - hence "baby-doll nighties with synthetic fluff" and it "fits you okay".
The speaker's (Jarvis') ex girlfriend is basically dressing up in cheesey lingerie to please her current Significant Other (who has some pink lingerie fetish), and the speaker is mocking it as a way to mock their relationship. Of course, like most Pulp songs, the speaker is bitter about the fact that the girl is now with some lame, cheesey guy instead of him ("he's got your heart, you've got his soul"). He knows she will never leave her SO, but he wants her to have an affair with him & to admit she was happier with him.
The speaker is saying she got it right first time, meaning she got it right when she was dating him & implying she is getting it wrong with her current SO. He's basically making a pass at her by saying she could "get it right" again with him, and to come "visit" him & lie to her SO about where she is going (to have an affair with him).
"I know you think I've got to be joking, but if you touch him again, then I'm going" - I think this line is about his repulsion over her being with her SO, and possibly he has seen them engage in PDA and it stung him. OR, it's a threat that if she keeps sleeping with her SO, then he'll end the affair. In any case, he is expressing jealousy.
I always thought this song tied in with "Do You Remember the First Time?". It has pretty much the same theme of bitterness over an ex & her new relationship. He mocks the new relationship, but still vies for an affair with his ex, claiming he doesn't really care & just wants sex.