"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.
[whistling]
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
Only time will tell if I'll allow the
Scenery around to eat me alive
I wanna sleep for weeks like a dog at her feet
Even though I know it won't work out in the long run
So I'll burn down the wall, breathe like a shadow
Those arms I once knew hold me like ghosts
I'll learn how to speak a forgotten language
I'll fall in the sea but forget how to swim
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
But only time will tell if I'll allow the
Scenery around to eat me alive
I want to sleep for weeks like a dog at her feet
Even though I know it won't work out in the long run
So I'll burn down to bone, breathe like a shadow
Those arms I once knew hold me like ghosts
I'll learn how to speak defeated language
I'll fall in the street as I howl at the moon
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
Only time will tell if I'll allow the
Scenery around to eat me alive
I wanna sleep for weeks like a dog at her feet
Even though I know it won't work out in the long run
So I'll burn down the wall, breathe like a shadow
Those arms I once knew hold me like ghosts
I'll learn how to speak a forgotten language
I'll fall in the sea but forget how to swim
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
But only time will tell if I'll allow the
Scenery around to eat me alive
I want to sleep for weeks like a dog at her feet
Even though I know it won't work out in the long run
So I'll burn down to bone, breathe like a shadow
Those arms I once knew hold me like ghosts
I'll learn how to speak defeated language
I'll fall in the street as I howl at the moon
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
When anything that's anything becomes nothing
That's everything and
Nothing is the only thing ya
Ever seem to have
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
La la-la, la-la la la-la
La la-la, la-la
Lyrics submitted by wingedfeetxc, edited by KabukiJake, invaderDeviLin
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Fast Car
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the line "those arms I once knew hold me like gold" isn't correct. the real line is "those arms I once knew hold me like ghosts. that first section of the song that includes the line i just mentioned is probably my favorite of man man's. its so eloquent and sad. i just saw them live, too. amazing show. made me love them even more than i already did.