"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.
Awake through the night, and this flood water around her
Reminds her of the time and low country boys
And their bottles without her, though she’s on their minds
Hands in black mud, at the foot of the manger
She’ll always be young and free to be wrong
A black lamb licks the dirt off her feet with its tongue
We are blessed, aren’t we?
In the shade of these large auburn leaves
Unexpectedly we arrive where we’re all meant to be
Awake through the night, and she prays in the morning
For distance from harm and low country boys
With their wealth of protection and mean battle-arms
Hands in black mud, as she sits by the manger
And closes her eyes, the wind blows outside
A black car pulls the gravel and wants her to ride
So who will she love, with her head lowed like ashes?
The sky lost tonight, the wind blows outside
A glass jar in the window, her shape blocks the candlelight
Reminds her of the time and low country boys
And their bottles without her, though she’s on their minds
Hands in black mud, at the foot of the manger
She’ll always be young and free to be wrong
A black lamb licks the dirt off her feet with its tongue
We are blessed, aren’t we?
In the shade of these large auburn leaves
Unexpectedly we arrive where we’re all meant to be
Awake through the night, and she prays in the morning
For distance from harm and low country boys
With their wealth of protection and mean battle-arms
Hands in black mud, as she sits by the manger
And closes her eyes, the wind blows outside
A black car pulls the gravel and wants her to ride
So who will she love, with her head lowed like ashes?
The sky lost tonight, the wind blows outside
A glass jar in the window, her shape blocks the candlelight
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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i never really heard this s0ng but, n0b0dy c0mmented it s0 YA!!