"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.
Another day breaks and the last one's gone
You dig deep just to carry on
Your debt's paid off but it don't feel gone
So you slip out the back and you're moving on, yeah
I can never figure out how to make a case
That this don't amount to a fall from grace
She wants to know can I replace
This tired wool with satin lace
Says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Pressure builds 'til it breaks the door
You can build a house you can't build a home
And it's a fool who believes love is bred in the bone
And there're no guarantees that you won't get stoned
Yeah, I'm a fool who believed love is bred in the bone
And there're no guarantees that I won't get stoned
Says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
I don't know where it leads, oh no
All I know
Is that I don't wanna breathe this chemical breeze no more
So another day breaks and the last one's gone
You dig deep just to carry on
Your debt's paid off but it don't feel gone
So you slip out the back and you're moving on
Says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Yeah, you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
You dig deep just to carry on
Your debt's paid off but it don't feel gone
So you slip out the back and you're moving on, yeah
I can never figure out how to make a case
That this don't amount to a fall from grace
She wants to know can I replace
This tired wool with satin lace
Says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Pressure builds 'til it breaks the door
You can build a house you can't build a home
And it's a fool who believes love is bred in the bone
And there're no guarantees that you won't get stoned
Yeah, I'm a fool who believed love is bred in the bone
And there're no guarantees that I won't get stoned
Says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
I don't know where it leads, oh no
All I know
Is that I don't wanna breathe this chemical breeze no more
So another day breaks and the last one's gone
You dig deep just to carry on
Your debt's paid off but it don't feel gone
So you slip out the back and you're moving on
Says you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Yeah, you're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Put it in the past, put it in the past
If this is a race then I hope you come last
You're on a bridge to nowhere and you're gettin' there fast
Lyrics submitted by Lake Fever
Bridge to Nowhere Lyrics as written by Sam Lewis Roberts
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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what a good song! It fits the Sam Roberts vibe...just dying to live a meaningful, happy life, and trying to get away from whatever's weighing you down. The vid's really good too!
I love it when he says "if this is a race then i hope you come last"...I don't really know what it means but i figure it's almost like, angst on the part of the person who's following the bridge to nowhere towards the girl who's saying that he's leading a meaningless life. It's like, he's saying that even though it's meaningless now, it doesn't mean it's gonna be like that forever ("put it in the past, put it in the past"). And it's almost like she's putting him down by telling him that his life is not going anywhere, so he's telling her, since you think you've got it so together now, i hope you really lose it and "come last" in whatever it is you're racing for.