"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.
Oh, the shark babe
Has such teeth,dear
And he shows them, pearly white
Just a jackknife
Has old macheath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight
When the shark bites
With his teeth,dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves,though,wears old
Macheath,dear
So there's never a trace of red
On the sidewalk Sunday morning
Lies a body just oozing life
Someone's sneaking
Round the corner
Could that someone be
Mack the knife?
There's a tugboat down by the river
Didn't you know
A cement bag's dropping down
Well that cement's
Just for the weight dear
Five will get you ten
Mackie's back in town
Here about Louie Miller
He disappeared,dear
After drawing out all his
Hard-earned cash
And Macheath spends
Just like a sailor
Could it be our boy
Did something rash?
Jenny Diver,Sukey Tawdry
Lawdie Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh the line forms on the right babe
Now that Mackie's back in town
Has such teeth,dear
And he shows them, pearly white
Just a jackknife
Has old macheath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight
When the shark bites
With his teeth,dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves,though,wears old
Macheath,dear
So there's never a trace of red
On the sidewalk Sunday morning
Lies a body just oozing life
Someone's sneaking
Round the corner
Could that someone be
Mack the knife?
There's a tugboat down by the river
Didn't you know
A cement bag's dropping down
Well that cement's
Just for the weight dear
Five will get you ten
Mackie's back in town
Here about Louie Miller
He disappeared,dear
After drawing out all his
Hard-earned cash
And Macheath spends
Just like a sailor
Could it be our boy
Did something rash?
Jenny Diver,Sukey Tawdry
Lawdie Lenya and old Lucy Brown
Oh the line forms on the right babe
Now that Mackie's back in town
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Fast Car
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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