"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.
In the dark, come out and play
We are its child-, here to stay
Running through, hungry for stray
No invitat-, take me away
I'm not cruel, still what you see
Club to club, city with me
Hungry for life, -out your pity
I don't want, you give it
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go the city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
In the dark, killer await
To kill a life, life you make
You do another, death can live
Just keep on dan-, movie you're in (I'm not cruel)
Smell of your sweat, lures me in
Your heart-, things to me
Running feet, through my blood
My ghost inside you soon will be
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
I don't want sex, but you give it
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Now it's over, you've taken your life
Dark grows thin and left to hide
I don't regret it, but it's sad anyway
Now we're both dead and so scared of the black
This life of games and diligent trust
It's the things we do and the things we must
I'm now tired of being cussed
So go sleep forever end to dust
We are its child-, here to stay
Running through, hungry for stray
No invitat-, take me away
I'm not cruel, still what you see
Club to club, city with me
Hungry for life, -out your pity
I don't want, you give it
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go the city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
In the dark, killer await
To kill a life, life you make
You do another, death can live
Just keep on dan-, movie you're in (I'm not cruel)
Smell of your sweat, lures me in
Your heart-, things to me
Running feet, through my blood
My ghost inside you soon will be
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
Hungry for strays, hungry for life, no invitat- your pity
I don't want sex, but you give it
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Still can't say she won't start up
Still can't say she won't start up a fight
You go city
'Cause in the city of life she can't, she can't wait
Now it's over, you've taken your life
Dark grows thin and left to hide
I don't regret it, but it's sad anyway
Now we're both dead and so scared of the black
This life of games and diligent trust
It's the things we do and the things we must
I'm now tired of being cussed
So go sleep forever end to dust
Lyrics submitted by onwaardsailboat, edited by jittery101
Vanished Lyrics as written by Nicholas Routledge Tomek Archer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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this is the 3rd verse for this song...this is one of the best song.
Now its over, You've taken your life The dark grows thin, And I'm left to hide I don't regret it, But its sad anyway Now were both dead, And scared of the black This life of games, And diligent trust Its the things we do, Or the things we must Im now tired of being cussed So go sleep forever end to dust
my interpretation for this song is some guy going out in the night and going to clubs (In the dark, come out and play we are its child, here to stay) and when they are dancing they start to sweat and their bodies are touching each others and soon he will take her home (smell of your sweat, lures me in your heart sings to me running feet through my blood my ghost inside you soon will be) he had sex with her and doesn' it and now they will go their ways and forget what happen (Now its over, You've taken your life The dark grows thin, And I'm left to hide I don't regret it,...Im now tired of being cussed So go sleep forever end to dust) thats my interpretation of this song
I agree mostly. But maybe the girl feels compelled to sleep with the guy because she feels that is what he wants even though he's okay with just loving her. So, I think she kills herself (literally or metaphorically) because she's tired of having to go through all that. And in the end he's just talking about the guilt and the tragedy of being a guy who certain women feel they just need to fuck to keep happy.<br /> <br /> But then again, I think we interpret these songs based on our own lives and perspectives.