"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.
For all the anguish,
And degradation
For every time I needed truth
And you were faithless
But disappointment, self-deprecation
But living a lie for fantasize and you could save me
I need my cross like a blanket
And misery is comfort
I can hardly stand to blame myself for filling prophecy on you
And in the end I decided
I guess I felt I deserved it
I should kiss your dirty lips for bringing me my clarity
And how did you just make me see?
How your lies have buried me
But I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
So I
I feel so high
Just let it go we would
I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
So I
(Shut up)
For all the torment
Loss of independence
For disrespect, carelessness with my emotions
For all the screams I swallow
How a soul is hollow
For giving into temptation
For making me feel like a cheap replacement
And how did you just make me see
How your lies have buried me
But I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'cause I
I feel so high
Just let it go we would
I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'Cause I
All the lies that I believed
And all the guilt you make me feel
'Cause I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'Cause I
Oh I feel so good just letting go
You know I feel good now you're gone
Getting stronger, letting go
Getting stronger, I'm moving on
Getting stronger, I'm letting go
Getting stronger, I'm getting stronger
No
This time
I forgive you
Lord I
And how the truth does make me see
And how your lies have buried me
I forgive you
Lord I
I must forgive you
Lord I
All the lies that I believed
And all the guilt you make me feel
I forgive you
'Cause I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'Cause I
And how the truth does make me see
How your lies have buried me
I forgive you
'cause I forgive you
Lord I
I must forgive you
(This time)
All the lies that I believed
Guilt you make me feel
This time
I must forgive you
I feel so high
I feel so high
'Cause it feels so good just letting go
You know I feel good now you go
And degradation
For every time I needed truth
And you were faithless
But disappointment, self-deprecation
But living a lie for fantasize and you could save me
I need my cross like a blanket
And misery is comfort
I can hardly stand to blame myself for filling prophecy on you
And in the end I decided
I guess I felt I deserved it
I should kiss your dirty lips for bringing me my clarity
And how did you just make me see?
How your lies have buried me
But I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
So I
I feel so high
Just let it go we would
I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
So I
(Shut up)
For all the torment
Loss of independence
For disrespect, carelessness with my emotions
For all the screams I swallow
How a soul is hollow
For giving into temptation
For making me feel like a cheap replacement
And how did you just make me see
How your lies have buried me
But I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'cause I
I feel so high
Just let it go we would
I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'Cause I
All the lies that I believed
And all the guilt you make me feel
'Cause I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'Cause I
Oh I feel so good just letting go
You know I feel good now you're gone
Getting stronger, letting go
Getting stronger, I'm moving on
Getting stronger, I'm letting go
Getting stronger, I'm getting stronger
No
This time
I forgive you
Lord I
And how the truth does make me see
And how your lies have buried me
I forgive you
Lord I
I must forgive you
Lord I
All the lies that I believed
And all the guilt you make me feel
I forgive you
'Cause I forgive you
Lord I must forgive you
'Cause I
And how the truth does make me see
How your lies have buried me
I forgive you
'cause I forgive you
Lord I
I must forgive you
(This time)
All the lies that I believed
Guilt you make me feel
This time
I must forgive you
I feel so high
I feel so high
'Cause it feels so good just letting go
You know I feel good now you go
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I love "I forgive you", I think it's such a cathardic song and it really touches on various different issues. I think some of it is about his father, and that aspect of his past. Whereas, some other parts of the song are about his former love, being another rhelm of his past. Maybe we can even go as far as saying that the first verse is directed at both of them, just as an introduction and opening to the song. Generalizing between the two; ((For all the anguish, And degradation For every time I needed truth And you were faithless But disappointment, self-deprecation But living a lie for fantasize and you could save me))
Where as the second is possibly just directed to the past lover, narrowing it down a little;
((I need my cross like a blanket And misery is comfort I can hardly stand to blame myself for filling prophecy on you And in the end I decided I guess I felt I deserved it I should kiss your dirty lips for bringing me my clarity))
And then finally the third verse being mainly directed at his father, finally bringing the song full circle;
((For all the torment Loss of independence For disrespect, carelessness with my emotions For all the screams I swallow How a soul is hollow For giving into temptation For making me feel like a cheap replacement))
And I use "mainly directed" because possibly they are all just general feelings towards both of them, but there are little hints and more specific lyrics that are pointing to one more than the other at times, but can possibly work for both.
In any case, it seems that TATS really is mostly songs about this "past lover" that we all talk about. It must just be incredible (obviously not only to have been with Darren and been so close with him, loved him etc) to have almost an entire CD by an amazing artist be pertaining to or about you. Even though most of his feelings are harsh and unflattering, it still must feel really surreal to have evoked that much emotion from one man, who has poured all of his feelings into something so incredible. It just would be so unreal to listen to it, knowing what he's talking about and just...the regrets or (maybe not so much) memories must just be a crazy feeling to experience.