"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.
Threw my books down the well
Said "Goodbye" to a few
Some I didn't tell
Couldn't have seen 21,000 miles
But I got there
With smiles in style
Crossed the Royal
Found Fuse alive
Hightstown drives
Bloom in the night
Through Windsor windows and Princeton Woods
Oshkosh as friends
So together we stood
Just wanted to join the line
So I signed up, sat back, enjoyed myself
Made out, real well, it went by quick
Stopped there, pressed on, thought it the end
But back and forth we trudged on and on again
Best summer of my life!
Down homeless roads
Me and the confused men dodged tornados
While the smart ones fled
"Keep still, they say the wolves are running."
Drive west
Drive east
"Manus said I'm coming."
Crossed the Royal
Returned Fuse alive
20 paces with time
Hell yeah, I shot at five
Through Windsor windows and Princeton Woods
New Jersey's my home
Got back there as fast as I could
Just wanted to join the line
So I signed up, sat back, enjoyed myself
Made out, real well, it went by quick
Stopped there, pressed on, thought it the end
But back and forth we trudged on and on again
We all want an adventure with meaning
So go and get it
If you want it
It's there
It's there
It's there
It's there!
Crossed the Royal
Fuse was still alive
He said "Good work son, now don't be shy."
Through Windsor windows to Princeton woods
Oh, it's my home, yeah
I came home
Said "Goodbye" to a few
Some I didn't tell
Couldn't have seen 21,000 miles
But I got there
With smiles in style
Crossed the Royal
Found Fuse alive
Hightstown drives
Bloom in the night
Through Windsor windows and Princeton Woods
Oshkosh as friends
So together we stood
Just wanted to join the line
So I signed up, sat back, enjoyed myself
Made out, real well, it went by quick
Stopped there, pressed on, thought it the end
But back and forth we trudged on and on again
Best summer of my life!
Down homeless roads
Me and the confused men dodged tornados
While the smart ones fled
"Keep still, they say the wolves are running."
Drive west
Drive east
"Manus said I'm coming."
Crossed the Royal
Returned Fuse alive
20 paces with time
Hell yeah, I shot at five
Through Windsor windows and Princeton Woods
New Jersey's my home
Got back there as fast as I could
Just wanted to join the line
So I signed up, sat back, enjoyed myself
Made out, real well, it went by quick
Stopped there, pressed on, thought it the end
But back and forth we trudged on and on again
We all want an adventure with meaning
So go and get it
If you want it
It's there
It's there
It's there
It's there!
Crossed the Royal
Fuse was still alive
He said "Good work son, now don't be shy."
Through Windsor windows to Princeton woods
Oh, it's my home, yeah
I came home
Lyrics submitted by InspectorMustache
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