"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.
Du weißt, ich hab das nicht gewollt,
an der Grenze nicht mit Blut gezollt,
die Stimmen drin in meinem Kopf,
sie sind zurück in meinem Kopf.
Verräter an des Königs Kehle,
Blutegel tief in meiner Seele,
Hohepriester meiner Gunst,
tummeln sich in meinem Dunst.
Was hast Du gerade noch gedacht,
ich weiß genau, Du hast gelacht,
es sprach der Herr, es werde Licht!
Seid willkommen vor meinem Gericht.
Warum seht Ihr mich so an,
ich weiß genau, Ihr seht mich an,
Ihr flüstert heimlich über mich,
glaubt Ihr denn, ich merk das nicht.
...und die Stimmen sagten mir:
Das Universum gehört jetzt Dir,
Du sollst fortan der Herrscher sein,
Du sollst sie knechten, Du allein,
Du allein!
Heilige Mutter Gottes! – Heilige Mutter Gottes!
Ich bin Dein Gott – Ich bin Dein Gott
Ich bin Dein Gott – Ich bin der Herr
Fallt auf die Knie – kriecht zu mir her!
an der Grenze nicht mit Blut gezollt,
die Stimmen drin in meinem Kopf,
sie sind zurück in meinem Kopf.
Verräter an des Königs Kehle,
Blutegel tief in meiner Seele,
Hohepriester meiner Gunst,
tummeln sich in meinem Dunst.
Was hast Du gerade noch gedacht,
ich weiß genau, Du hast gelacht,
es sprach der Herr, es werde Licht!
Seid willkommen vor meinem Gericht.
Warum seht Ihr mich so an,
ich weiß genau, Ihr seht mich an,
Ihr flüstert heimlich über mich,
glaubt Ihr denn, ich merk das nicht.
...und die Stimmen sagten mir:
Das Universum gehört jetzt Dir,
Du sollst fortan der Herrscher sein,
Du sollst sie knechten, Du allein,
Du allein!
Heilige Mutter Gottes! – Heilige Mutter Gottes!
Ich bin Dein Gott – Ich bin Dein Gott
Ich bin Dein Gott – Ich bin der Herr
Fallt auf die Knie – kriecht zu mir her!
Lyrics submitted by der_Metzgermeister
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