"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.
The walk home from barbecue is very long when I'm walking with you
The sun is coming up, and it is coming to light
That me and you were never that tight
And then you stand there with your old botfriend
And message after message, and you can send, send, send
You Know I will definitely ignore them all
You're having a shit night, well I'm having a ball
You showed you're face at the aftershow, how did I know that you would say you will go, it's because you're always listening to him, He's only average looking and a bit too thin
The sun is coming up, and it is coming to light
That me and you were never that tight
And then you stand there with your old botfriend
And message after message, and you can send, send, send
You Know I will definitely ignore them all
You're having a shit night, well I'm having a ball
You showed you're face at the aftershow, how did I know that you would say you will go, it's because you're always listening to him, He's only average looking and a bit too thin
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Fast Car
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You showed your face at the aftershow How did I know that you said you would go? It's because you're always listening to him He's only average looking, an little bit too thin!