"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.
Life is a monocycle stuck in the mud
Supplied with a greasy cloth
This one treats about the noble art of getting embittered
A wise reaction towards your very tiresome entourage
Damn, it’s so fucking awesome
The way I’m bored
Hanging out with you suffering
The same conversation
All over again withstanding
My will to spend some annoying
Moments in the very same places with those familiar faces
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut the fuck up!
I want you out
I want you out
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
I want you out
I want you…
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
Go!
Tonight I hit the door and
I walked away
I stole a car and I hit
The road got out of this fucking
Life, far of this depressing
Sight and I smile when I think of
Tomorrow cause I found a new place with
New people to get bored with
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut the fuck up!
I want you out
I want you out
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
I want you out
I want you…
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Supplied with a greasy cloth
This one treats about the noble art of getting embittered
A wise reaction towards your very tiresome entourage
Damn, it’s so fucking awesome
The way I’m bored
Hanging out with you suffering
The same conversation
All over again withstanding
My will to spend some annoying
Moments in the very same places with those familiar faces
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut the fuck up!
I want you out
I want you out
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
I want you out
I want you…
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
Go!
Tonight I hit the door and
I walked away
I stole a car and I hit
The road got out of this fucking
Life, far of this depressing
Sight and I smile when I think of
Tomorrow cause I found a new place with
New people to get bored with
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut up!…
Shut the fuck up!
I want you out
I want you out
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
I want you out
I want you…
(Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long)
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Your forked tongues’ve been dribbling on my toes for too long
Lyrics submitted by Brujeria6SixSeis
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Yo La Tengo
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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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