"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.
Put your swords away
I'm already down
The higher we both climb
The further we fall
Now we're under looking up into the floor
And burn each other though we're dying for more
We're stuck on this disfunction
We love it to our death
We celebrate destruction by lighting up this bed
You can take your love away
But don't you ever leave me alone
Burn the ghosts we've carried home
Come on, touch me
Show me you're imperfect, too
These broken lights
They shine on us tonight
We don't talk much
When there's so much to say
We don't listen, but yet we try anyway
My stomach feels sick, bitter, and open
Reveries of helplessness
Have left me all but hopin'
We strip each other's beauty
We push it to the end
We face each other smiling
And leave it all unsaid
You can take your love away
But don't you ever leave me alone
Burn the ghosts we've carried home
Come on, touch me
Show me you're imperfect, too
These broken lights
They shine on us tonight
We kiss till we bleed
We feel so much it's killing us
We fight till were free
And he threatens to leave but won't let me
We cry till we see
Infatuations break us down
We're healing at three
We dance inside this tragedy
We dance inside this tragedy
You can take your love away
But don't you ever leave me alone
Burn the ghosts we've carried home
Come on, touch me
Show me you're imperfect, too
These broken lights
They shine on us tonight
I'm already down
The higher we both climb
The further we fall
Now we're under looking up into the floor
And burn each other though we're dying for more
We're stuck on this disfunction
We love it to our death
We celebrate destruction by lighting up this bed
You can take your love away
But don't you ever leave me alone
Burn the ghosts we've carried home
Come on, touch me
Show me you're imperfect, too
These broken lights
They shine on us tonight
We don't talk much
When there's so much to say
We don't listen, but yet we try anyway
My stomach feels sick, bitter, and open
Reveries of helplessness
Have left me all but hopin'
We strip each other's beauty
We push it to the end
We face each other smiling
And leave it all unsaid
You can take your love away
But don't you ever leave me alone
Burn the ghosts we've carried home
Come on, touch me
Show me you're imperfect, too
These broken lights
They shine on us tonight
We kiss till we bleed
We feel so much it's killing us
We fight till were free
And he threatens to leave but won't let me
We cry till we see
Infatuations break us down
We're healing at three
We dance inside this tragedy
We dance inside this tragedy
You can take your love away
But don't you ever leave me alone
Burn the ghosts we've carried home
Come on, touch me
Show me you're imperfect, too
These broken lights
They shine on us tonight
Lyrics submitted by thoseguiltyeyes
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Fast Car
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Amazing song. I love A.LL. I can relate to this song SO much.