"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 wrote a song for your sister
Her stomach pumped charcoal and drugs
I wrote a song for your sister
But she folded it fourteen times up
And your father felt Satan in Hilton
And the Lord saw the bad from his bones
And oh, when I touch you, I feel you
Closer than ever before
Raise up and be strong, O Lord
Oh, be calm, oh
Oh, be strong, oh my God, be strong
I know your dad left your mother
Before you can probably recall
But I hear the strength in your vocals
Deciding that you can move on
And I picked you up dead in the forest
With your shirt all folded up to your arms
Your dad pinned you to walls in the kitchen
And he pinned you to walls in your heart
So raise up and be calm, O Lord
Oh, be calm
Oh, be strong, oh my Goddamn be strong
So I'll write one more song for this cabin
We're cementing and the rocks to stand firm
And I'll write one more song for my cousin
Who bought all the drugs in her arms
And I hide a dream of our families
About as bad as the dream of her kids
In it we stood like our families
Never scared, never crying it seems
So I wrote a song for your Jesus
You say if I'm lucky I'll call Him mine too
And I sat there, just churchside I'm weeping
My believing is finally through
So I'll write a song for my Jesus
If I'm lucky you can call Him yours too
He looked at me just like His family
Saying, "Andy, we're not through till we're through"
So shut up
And be calm, oh
I am strong, oh
And be calm
I am strong
Just be calm, strong
Just be calm
Just be calm
Just be calm
Her stomach pumped charcoal and drugs
I wrote a song for your sister
But she folded it fourteen times up
And your father felt Satan in Hilton
And the Lord saw the bad from his bones
And oh, when I touch you, I feel you
Closer than ever before
Raise up and be strong, O Lord
Oh, be calm, oh
Oh, be strong, oh my God, be strong
I know your dad left your mother
Before you can probably recall
But I hear the strength in your vocals
Deciding that you can move on
And I picked you up dead in the forest
With your shirt all folded up to your arms
Your dad pinned you to walls in the kitchen
And he pinned you to walls in your heart
So raise up and be calm, O Lord
Oh, be calm
Oh, be strong, oh my Goddamn be strong
So I'll write one more song for this cabin
We're cementing and the rocks to stand firm
And I'll write one more song for my cousin
Who bought all the drugs in her arms
And I hide a dream of our families
About as bad as the dream of her kids
In it we stood like our families
Never scared, never crying it seems
So I wrote a song for your Jesus
You say if I'm lucky I'll call Him mine too
And I sat there, just churchside I'm weeping
My believing is finally through
So I'll write a song for my Jesus
If I'm lucky you can call Him yours too
He looked at me just like His family
Saying, "Andy, we're not through till we're through"
So shut up
And be calm, oh
I am strong, oh
And be calm
I am strong
Just be calm, strong
Just be calm
Just be calm
Just be calm
Lyrics submitted by SnareRushJunkie
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i think i heard MO call it "Raise Up". i just submitted the song