"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 dreamed last night that I was a tiger in the jungle
But I was a big bad tiger for a lion killed me
And then I was an elephant a great big elephant
There wasn't anything I couldn't do
Till they caught and they brought me to a zoo
So I dreamed I was an alligator
Crocodile? No, alligator with a great big mouth
And four very funny little legs which are no good for dancing
So, then I was a dancing bear
And I was doing my dancing where the bears dance
But I was sneezing 'cause I was a dancing polar bear
And it was freezing
Then I dreamed I was a giraffe
I looked so ridiculous I wanted to laugh
But giraffes can't talk, so how can they laugh?
Who ever saw giraffe laugh? Then I woke up
And I was not a tiger or and elephant
I was not an alligator, crocodile? No, alligator
I was not a dancing bear or a tall giraffe
I was only me and that's the way I'll be
Oh, that's the way I'll be
I enjoy being an oyster
But I was a big bad tiger for a lion killed me
And then I was an elephant a great big elephant
There wasn't anything I couldn't do
Till they caught and they brought me to a zoo
So I dreamed I was an alligator
Crocodile? No, alligator with a great big mouth
And four very funny little legs which are no good for dancing
So, then I was a dancing bear
And I was doing my dancing where the bears dance
But I was sneezing 'cause I was a dancing polar bear
And it was freezing
Then I dreamed I was a giraffe
I looked so ridiculous I wanted to laugh
But giraffes can't talk, so how can they laugh?
Who ever saw giraffe laugh? Then I woke up
And I was not a tiger or and elephant
I was not an alligator, crocodile? No, alligator
I was not a dancing bear or a tall giraffe
I was only me and that's the way I'll be
Oh, that's the way I'll be
I enjoy being an oyster
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