"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.
So here I am it's 3a.m
I don't know where to begin
Time's running out and
There's no doubt that I feel
Like throwing in the towel
With no way I can get this
Start finished
So I'm a day late at least
A buck short I've got no
Chance to make this on
My own I don't have it made I'm
Nowhere near the shade will
You step in this life and take
Control
Show me the way I know
That slow and steady wins
The race but slow to me
'cause I can't see is like a
Lightning pace and all I
Get is nowhere constantly
Waiting Are you still
There and do you care about
What I'm feeling now I'd like
To see what I could be
Without this holding me
Down but I'm too scared of
Taking this chance and
Failing I'm always waiting
Procrastinating I feel so
Useless on my own You're
Always waiting just in time
To save me I'm not so useless
I'm not alone so here I am
It's 3a.m. No better time to
Begin
I don't know where to begin
Time's running out and
There's no doubt that I feel
Like throwing in the towel
With no way I can get this
Start finished
So I'm a day late at least
A buck short I've got no
Chance to make this on
My own I don't have it made I'm
Nowhere near the shade will
You step in this life and take
Control
Show me the way I know
That slow and steady wins
The race but slow to me
'cause I can't see is like a
Lightning pace and all I
Get is nowhere constantly
Waiting Are you still
There and do you care about
What I'm feeling now I'd like
To see what I could be
Without this holding me
Down but I'm too scared of
Taking this chance and
Failing I'm always waiting
Procrastinating I feel so
Useless on my own You're
Always waiting just in time
To save me I'm not so useless
I'm not alone so here I am
It's 3a.m. No better time to
Begin
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Fast Car
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Umm these are wrong... Everywhere I look for lyrics they miss this after it says
Time's running out and There's no doubt that i feel Like throwing in the towel With no way I can get this Start finished
After that it says something like " I try and try and wonder why the answers never come..."