"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.
She says she's no good with words, but I'm worse
Barely stuttered out a joke of a romantic stuck to my tongue
Weighed down with words too overdramatic
Tonight it's it can't get much worse
Versus no one should ever feel like
I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds
These words are all I have so I write them
So you need them just to get by
Dance, dance
We're falling apart to halftime
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me
You always fold just before you're found out
Drink up it's last call last resort
But only the first mistake and I
I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds
These words are all I have so I write them
So you need them just to get by
Why don't you show me a little bit of spine
You've been saving for his mattress, love?
Dance, dance
We're falling apart to halftime
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me
Why don't you show me a little bit of spine
You've been saving for his mattress? (Mattress, mattress)
I only want sympathy in the form of you crawling into bed with me
Dance, dance
We're falling apart to halftime
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance this is the way they'd love (way they'd love)
Dance this is the way they'd love (way they'd love)
Dance this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Barely stuttered out a joke of a romantic stuck to my tongue
Weighed down with words too overdramatic
Tonight it's it can't get much worse
Versus no one should ever feel like
I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds
These words are all I have so I write them
So you need them just to get by
Dance, dance
We're falling apart to halftime
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me
You always fold just before you're found out
Drink up it's last call last resort
But only the first mistake and I
I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds
These words are all I have so I write them
So you need them just to get by
Why don't you show me a little bit of spine
You've been saving for his mattress, love?
Dance, dance
We're falling apart to halftime
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance, this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me
Why don't you show me a little bit of spine
You've been saving for his mattress? (Mattress, mattress)
I only want sympathy in the form of you crawling into bed with me
Dance, dance
We're falling apart to halftime
Dance, dance
And these are the lives you love to lead
Dance this is the way they'd love (way they'd love)
Dance this is the way they'd love (way they'd love)
Dance this is the way they'd love if they knew how misery loved me
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
Dance, dance
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Listen you fucktards, if you dont like Fall Out Boy and think theyre shit, then why the fuck are you looking up their lyrics?! If you have nothing constructive to say, say nothing at all! Because you know what? WE DON'T CARE!