"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.
All wound up
On the edge
Terrified
Sleep disturbed
Restless mind
Petrified
Bouts of fear
Permeate
All I see
Heightening
Nervousness
Threatens me
I am paralyzed
So afraid to die
Caught off guard
Warning signs
Never show
Tension strikes
Choking me
Worries grow
Why do I feel so numb?
Is it something to do with where I come from?
Should this be fight or flight?
I don't know why I'm constantly so uptight
Rapid heartbeat pounding through my chest
Agitated body in distress
I feel like I'm in danger
Daily life is strangled by my stress
A stifling surge shooting through all my veins
Extreme apprehension, suddenly I'm insane
Lost all hope for redemption
A grave situation, desperate at best
Why do I feel so numb?
Is it something to do with where I come from?
Should this be fight or flight?
I don't know why I'm constantly reeling
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Run, try to hide
Overwhelmed by this
Complex delirium
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Run, try to hide
Overwhelmed by this
Complex delirium
On the edge
Terrified
Sleep disturbed
Restless mind
Petrified
Bouts of fear
Permeate
All I see
Heightening
Nervousness
Threatens me
I am paralyzed
So afraid to die
Caught off guard
Warning signs
Never show
Tension strikes
Choking me
Worries grow
Why do I feel so numb?
Is it something to do with where I come from?
Should this be fight or flight?
I don't know why I'm constantly so uptight
Rapid heartbeat pounding through my chest
Agitated body in distress
I feel like I'm in danger
Daily life is strangled by my stress
A stifling surge shooting through all my veins
Extreme apprehension, suddenly I'm insane
Lost all hope for redemption
A grave situation, desperate at best
Why do I feel so numb?
Is it something to do with where I come from?
Should this be fight or flight?
I don't know why I'm constantly reeling
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Run, try to hide
Overwhelmed by this
Complex delirium
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Run, try to hide
Overwhelmed by this
Complex delirium
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