"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 looked over my shoulder
Straight into your eyes
As you stood in my shadow
In some loud disguise
You were lookin' straight through me
Like a piece of glass
Out of step with the fashion
Fashions always pass
I've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
Feeling restless and jaded
My heartbeat paralyzed
Like some refugee hero
To beat denounced and denied
In some rock and roll wasteland
In a thousand hours
While Madonnas keep smiling
Present them with the flowers
I've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
And I've been running down the shadows
Like a street gang to survive
Hoping for something to keep me alive
I looked over my shoulder
Fire in my eyes
We were looking for justice
What we got was a great big surprise
We've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
And we've been running from the shadows
Like some street gang to survive
Waiting for something to keep us alive
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Been living on the dark side
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
And I've been running from the shadows
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Straight into your eyes
As you stood in my shadow
In some loud disguise
You were lookin' straight through me
Like a piece of glass
Out of step with the fashion
Fashions always pass
I've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
Feeling restless and jaded
My heartbeat paralyzed
Like some refugee hero
To beat denounced and denied
In some rock and roll wasteland
In a thousand hours
While Madonnas keep smiling
Present them with the flowers
I've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
And I've been running down the shadows
Like a street gang to survive
Hoping for something to keep me alive
I looked over my shoulder
Fire in my eyes
We were looking for justice
What we got was a great big surprise
We've been living
On the dark side of the sun
Waiting for something
That would never come
And we've been running from the shadows
Like some street gang to survive
Waiting for something to keep us alive
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Been living on the dark side
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
And I've been running from the shadows
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-oh-oh
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Fast Car
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About feeling alienated, lost out of place.