"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.
Roll into your town
and I'm walkin around.
Got some extra time,
think I'll throw some money down.
And you follow me around.
You're askin for the time,
you're askin what I found,
think I'm gonna rob you blind.
Maybe it's the tattoo on my arm
that I drew when I was bored,
waitin tables in New York,
well a heart and 2 flowers intertwined with a vine,
I can see your point,
I can see your point.
But up here,
I am who I am.
And if you don't like it,
then fuck you man.
I'm not a thief and a whore,
please don't follow me around next time
I'm shoppin in your store.
Yeah.
And up here,
I'm makin you aware
that if you don't like me,
well I don't care.
I'll be exactly who I am
and if you got a problem with me,
well that's your problem, man.
Yeah.
After I've paid,
count the money that you made,
then you go to the show,
like to be entertained.
And I get up on the stage,
trained monkey in a cage,
it's just another day,
just another day.
And I can see you from my place on the stage,
third row, center aisle, hot blonde with you, all smiles.
And you got another woman,
but that's in another town,
you can't wait till this is over,
gonna lay that honey down.
And up here,
I am who I am.
And if you don't like it,
then fuck you man.
I'm not a thief and a whore,
please don't follow me around next time
I'm shoppin in your store.
Yeah.
And up here,
I'm makin you aware
that if you don't like me,
well I don't care.
I'll be exactly who I am
and if you got a problem with me,
well that's your problem, man.
Yeah.
And your good values taught you have to behave.
Who to treat kindly and who to enslave.
And like a good man,
you still fall to the floor
when a great big rack
and a ripe round ass walk through the door.
Yeah.
But up here,
I am who I am.
And if you don't like it,
then fuck you man.
I'm not a thief and a whore,
please don't follow me around next time
I'm shoppin in your store.
Yeah.
And up here,
I'm makin you aware
that if you don't like me,
well I don't care.
I'll be exactly who I am
and if you got a problem with me,
well that's your problem, man.
Yeah.
and I'm walkin around.
Got some extra time,
think I'll throw some money down.
And you follow me around.
You're askin for the time,
you're askin what I found,
think I'm gonna rob you blind.
Maybe it's the tattoo on my arm
that I drew when I was bored,
waitin tables in New York,
well a heart and 2 flowers intertwined with a vine,
I can see your point,
I can see your point.
But up here,
I am who I am.
And if you don't like it,
then fuck you man.
I'm not a thief and a whore,
please don't follow me around next time
I'm shoppin in your store.
Yeah.
And up here,
I'm makin you aware
that if you don't like me,
well I don't care.
I'll be exactly who I am
and if you got a problem with me,
well that's your problem, man.
Yeah.
After I've paid,
count the money that you made,
then you go to the show,
like to be entertained.
And I get up on the stage,
trained monkey in a cage,
it's just another day,
just another day.
And I can see you from my place on the stage,
third row, center aisle, hot blonde with you, all smiles.
And you got another woman,
but that's in another town,
you can't wait till this is over,
gonna lay that honey down.
And up here,
I am who I am.
And if you don't like it,
then fuck you man.
I'm not a thief and a whore,
please don't follow me around next time
I'm shoppin in your store.
Yeah.
And up here,
I'm makin you aware
that if you don't like me,
well I don't care.
I'll be exactly who I am
and if you got a problem with me,
well that's your problem, man.
Yeah.
And your good values taught you have to behave.
Who to treat kindly and who to enslave.
And like a good man,
you still fall to the floor
when a great big rack
and a ripe round ass walk through the door.
Yeah.
But up here,
I am who I am.
And if you don't like it,
then fuck you man.
I'm not a thief and a whore,
please don't follow me around next time
I'm shoppin in your store.
Yeah.
And up here,
I'm makin you aware
that if you don't like me,
well I don't care.
I'll be exactly who I am
and if you got a problem with me,
well that's your problem, man.
Yeah.
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Fast Car
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I Can't Go To Sleep
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Magical
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sounds like an ex whos still trying to rub stuff in her face with rebounds, and by insulting her. and she's just letting him know shes doing what she wants, regardless of his opinion.
It's obviously about the whole performing to people - "And I can see you from my place on the stage," i mean not everyone's gonna like you are they?!
I think it's less literal than an actual stage. Shakespeare said "The world is but a stage, and the people merely players", I think when she's singing about her place on the stage, she means her place in public view of everyone, even as just another member of society.
I think this song is about a stripper who is confident with herself and her profession. I think she is just telling the world to fuck off and basically that she doesn't care what you think of her. The line, "And your good values taught you how to behave; who to treat kindly and who to enslave" makes me believe she is saying it to a man who may have taken advantage of her.
I think that this song is about sterotyping. She dresses and looks a certain way so the store owner is stereotyping her as a criminal. Ironically he is the one that is cheating on his wife...Also I believe it talks about men demeaning women not just in a stripper sense but as in every day....Most of those who are "religious" use their "morales" to dehumanize people.
i agree with Freekster. It's about sterotyping. He sees her tattooand clothes, and thinks that she is a thief and a whore. That's why he fallows here around in the store, and carefully counts money she gave him. But he is cheating on his wife or girlfriend or something. So she thinks, that he has no rights to say something bad about her, because he isn't any better.
i love this song. everybody labels me as being a rock-chick, an emo kid, a hippie and whatever crosses throu their minds at the moment. it's a single line that you say that stands for what you think, it's not a blouse you wear, a song you like to listen to... it's much more than that, and if you don't like it, then fuck you, man! (btw, i really like the "man" metaphor... the old school of rock used to name as "the man" everything that stands in front of your happiness)