"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.
THIS SONG HAS NO OFFICIAL TITLE, "BETTER" IS A NAME I CAME UP WITH FROM A LINE N THE SONG, ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
You came with the ashes
Blamed them for blowing away
Confine in a stranger
But push your friends away
You hang with the wrong crowds
And wonder why they’re gone
You know what the problem is
But the words come out all wrong
And don’t I make you sad
Don’t I make you angry
Don’t I make you worry
But don’t I make you happy
Don’t I make you smile to know you’re not alone
So go ahead and cry your eyes out
Cause it’s never coming back
And if you really love something, let it go
And know that made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want something better
Better I say…
And you see angels and hate them for loving you
The truth isn’t blaming for what have you
You start trusting the one (trusting the one)
And know the only one that you have (that you have)
You start to tuck it away (tuck it away)
Tuck it so far down that no one can hurt you
Don’t I make you sad
Don’t I make you angry
Don’t I make you worry
But don’t I make you happy
Don’t I make you smile to know you’re not alone
So go ahead and cry your eyes out
Cause it’s never coming back
And if you really love something, let it go
Let it go
So go ahead and cry your eyes out
Cause it’s never coming back
Cause if you really love something, let it go
Cause I made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want something better
Something better
Something better
Something better
For myself
You came with the ashes
Blamed them for blowing away
Confine in a stranger
But push your friends away
You hang with the wrong crowds
And wonder why they’re gone
You know what the problem is
But the words come out all wrong
And don’t I make you sad
Don’t I make you angry
Don’t I make you worry
But don’t I make you happy
Don’t I make you smile to know you’re not alone
So go ahead and cry your eyes out
Cause it’s never coming back
And if you really love something, let it go
And know that made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want something better
Better I say…
And you see angels and hate them for loving you
The truth isn’t blaming for what have you
You start trusting the one (trusting the one)
And know the only one that you have (that you have)
You start to tuck it away (tuck it away)
Tuck it so far down that no one can hurt you
Don’t I make you sad
Don’t I make you angry
Don’t I make you worry
But don’t I make you happy
Don’t I make you smile to know you’re not alone
So go ahead and cry your eyes out
Cause it’s never coming back
And if you really love something, let it go
Let it go
So go ahead and cry your eyes out
Cause it’s never coming back
Cause if you really love something, let it go
Cause I made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want that
Made you want something better
Something better
Something better
Something better
For myself
Lyrics submitted by pastachickennugget42
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Jane's Addiction
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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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