"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 bells will ring
Church steeple's catching fire
And if you promise spring
Then I know you are a liar
Cause in the spring
Tender grasses won't burn easily
The thrushes sing
Still my lover won't return to me
Wild parsnips they still scar my lungs
While thistles will burn my feet
And if you join our chorus
You'll never fear anymore
So here it comes, just the chorus
We will meet on a fatal shore
Souverian
Souverian
The elder
Souverian
Souverian
The free
Souverian
Souverian
The felled heart
So very young
So very young
Were we
Birds were singing
Still my lover won't return to me
You promise spring
Still my lover won't return to me
Wild parsnips scar my lungs
And the thistles are burning my feet
So here it comes, the chorus
You will never fear anymore
If you join our chorus
We will meet on a fatal shore
Under the elders
the older get younger
the younger get over
over the elders
and under the elders
pretend that you're older now
Under the elders
the older get younger
the younger get older
over the elders
under the elders
bending the branches down
We were so very young
Still my lover won't return to me
Thrushes sing
Still my lover won't return to me
Wild parsnips they still scar my lungs
While thistles still burn my feet
Church steeple's catching fire
And if you promise spring
Then I know you are a liar
Cause in the spring
Tender grasses won't burn easily
The thrushes sing
Still my lover won't return to me
Wild parsnips they still scar my lungs
While thistles will burn my feet
And if you join our chorus
You'll never fear anymore
So here it comes, just the chorus
We will meet on a fatal shore
Souverian
Souverian
The elder
Souverian
Souverian
The free
Souverian
Souverian
The felled heart
So very young
So very young
Were we
Birds were singing
Still my lover won't return to me
You promise spring
Still my lover won't return to me
Wild parsnips scar my lungs
And the thistles are burning my feet
So here it comes, the chorus
You will never fear anymore
If you join our chorus
We will meet on a fatal shore
Under the elders
the older get younger
the younger get over
over the elders
and under the elders
pretend that you're older now
Under the elders
the older get younger
the younger get older
over the elders
under the elders
bending the branches down
We were so very young
Still my lover won't return to me
Thrushes sing
Still my lover won't return to me
Wild parsnips they still scar my lungs
While thistles still burn my feet
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This song is really beautiful.