"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.
Well I'm come back home from seeing my man
With gritty brown hands and eyes of tin
I say baby we aught to make us a plan
He said come on and eat my blackberry jam
Ever love a lass make sure she plays the drums
Don't fall for her guitars no matter how hard she strums
Guitarist as a breed are all really bums
They'll unwrap you and chew you like a piece of gum
There goes white and there goes black
The shadows trip across my dusty pack
I'm listening to the wheel of the steal rail track
Go clickty-clack, clickity-clack
I like boys dark like Alder side
I like girls solid with twinkles in their eyes
When I get home I'm making blackberry pie
Until then I'll listen to these railroad ties
There goes white and there goes black
The shadows trip across my dusty pack
I'm listening to the wheel of the steal rail track
Go clickty-clack, clickity-clack
With gritty brown hands and eyes of tin
I say baby we aught to make us a plan
He said come on and eat my blackberry jam
Ever love a lass make sure she plays the drums
Don't fall for her guitars no matter how hard she strums
Guitarist as a breed are all really bums
They'll unwrap you and chew you like a piece of gum
There goes white and there goes black
The shadows trip across my dusty pack
I'm listening to the wheel of the steal rail track
Go clickty-clack, clickity-clack
I like boys dark like Alder side
I like girls solid with twinkles in their eyes
When I get home I'm making blackberry pie
Until then I'll listen to these railroad ties
There goes white and there goes black
The shadows trip across my dusty pack
I'm listening to the wheel of the steal rail track
Go clickty-clack, clickity-clack
Lyrics submitted by notworthloving
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Fast Car
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