"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.
There's a lightning storm each and every night
Crashing inside you like motorbikes
We toss and turn, sleep so loud
Grind the teeth in our empty mouths
Our empty
There's a forest fire burning bright
Spreading quickly towards our last rights
Nowhere to run, pointless to hide
Just lay there and scream, pretending to try
Pretending
Intending to burn, pretending to fight it
Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and you burn
This impending doom is left deep inside
And it's haunting you each and every night
Like starving wolves, counting sheep
We close our eyes, pretending to sleep
Descending
Intending to burn, pretending to fight it
Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and...
Like hell, we are anxiously waiting
Like hell burning silently strong
Somehow we fell down by the wayside
And somehow this hell is home
As we burn, pretending to fight it
Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and
Like hell, we are anxiously waiting
Like hell burning silently strong
Somehow we fell down by the wayside
And somehow this hell is home
Right now, this hell is my home
Crashing inside you like motorbikes
We toss and turn, sleep so loud
Grind the teeth in our empty mouths
Our empty
There's a forest fire burning bright
Spreading quickly towards our last rights
Nowhere to run, pointless to hide
Just lay there and scream, pretending to try
Pretending
Intending to burn, pretending to fight it
Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and you burn
This impending doom is left deep inside
And it's haunting you each and every night
Like starving wolves, counting sheep
We close our eyes, pretending to sleep
Descending
Intending to burn, pretending to fight it
Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and...
Like hell, we are anxiously waiting
Like hell burning silently strong
Somehow we fell down by the wayside
And somehow this hell is home
As we burn, pretending to fight it
Everyone learns faster on fire
Things took a turn, lost all desire
You live and you burn
You live and
Like hell, we are anxiously waiting
Like hell burning silently strong
Somehow we fell down by the wayside
And somehow this hell is home
Right now, this hell is my home
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