"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.
I don't know if I can find a way to keep
All the secrets that you told me in your sleep
And I'm amazed that you still find the space to dream
In the shadows of a town made out of thieves
Who would drown the sound of history repeating
With the ambulances screaming up the street
So sing to me
Don't let me fall asleep to the sound of cold machines
Or the smell of gasoline
Or the weight of destiny
Don't make me wait
I've been waiting here all night
I've been waiting my whole life
Somewhere the ghosts of factory workers dance
With the ghosts of kids who never had a chance
And we still hear it out our window every night
All the secrets that you told me in your sleep
And I'm amazed that you still find the space to dream
In the shadows of a town made out of thieves
Who would drown the sound of history repeating
With the ambulances screaming up the street
So sing to me
Don't let me fall asleep to the sound of cold machines
Or the smell of gasoline
Or the weight of destiny
Don't make me wait
I've been waiting here all night
I've been waiting my whole life
Somewhere the ghosts of factory workers dance
With the ghosts of kids who never had a chance
And we still hear it out our window every night
Lyrics submitted by mathrockgirl
Ambulance Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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There are more lyrics
I don't know if I can find a way to keep All the secrets that you told me in your sleep And I'm amazed that you still find the space to dream In the shadows of a town made out of thieves
Who would drown the sound of history repeating With the ambulances screaming up the street
So sing to me Don't let me fall asleep to the sound of cold machines Or the smell of gasoline Or the weight of destiny
Don't make me wait I've been waiting here all night I've been waiting my whole life
Somewhere the ghosts of factory workers dance With the ghosts of kids who never had a chance And we still hear it out our window every night Like a fistfight in an ambulance
Sing me a song, don't let me think too long About what I'm trying to say A broken fire escape Or how long I had to wait