"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 was going to spell it out in full detail but
I dropped the call before I spilled my guts
But your floor stayed clean like my conscience will be
'Cause if you heard anything, you didn't hear it from me
And I'm sweeping up the seconds that tick off the clock
And saving them for later when I'm too ticked to talk
And I need some time to search my mind
To locate the words that seem so hard to find
Sometimes I say things that I wish that I could take back
The most crucial thing I lack is a thing called tact
And if you're always so intently listening
Then the smartest thing to say is to tell myself not to say a thing
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
To bite my tongue
It seems I'm always close minded with an open mouth
And the worst of me just seems to come right out
But I've never broken bones with a stone or a stick
But I'll conjure up a phrase that can cut to the quick
And sometimes I say things that I wish that I could take back
The smartest thing to say is to tell myself
To keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
I gotta keep quiet, quiet and listen to your voice
Because the power of your words can repair all that I've destroyed
And when I finally do, let it come from you
The peace of understanding grips my soul
You're the reason I've found meaning in this life
So I'll swallow up my pride and give you control, I give it to you
But I gotta keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet and listen to your voice
Because the power of your words can repair all that I've destroyed
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
To bite my tongue
I dropped the call before I spilled my guts
But your floor stayed clean like my conscience will be
'Cause if you heard anything, you didn't hear it from me
And I'm sweeping up the seconds that tick off the clock
And saving them for later when I'm too ticked to talk
And I need some time to search my mind
To locate the words that seem so hard to find
Sometimes I say things that I wish that I could take back
The most crucial thing I lack is a thing called tact
And if you're always so intently listening
Then the smartest thing to say is to tell myself not to say a thing
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
To bite my tongue
It seems I'm always close minded with an open mouth
And the worst of me just seems to come right out
But I've never broken bones with a stone or a stick
But I'll conjure up a phrase that can cut to the quick
And sometimes I say things that I wish that I could take back
The smartest thing to say is to tell myself
To keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
I gotta keep quiet, quiet and listen to your voice
Because the power of your words can repair all that I've destroyed
And when I finally do, let it come from you
The peace of understanding grips my soul
You're the reason I've found meaning in this life
So I'll swallow up my pride and give you control, I give it to you
But I gotta keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet and listen to your voice
Because the power of your words can repair all that I've destroyed
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet, don't let it all come undone
'Cause if I dare open my mouth, it'll just be to bite my tongue
To bite my tongue
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Fast Car
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I think I agree with JPie.(don't hurt me!)