"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.
Running in place
Feeling like you're losing your faith
Feeling like you're fading away
Without a voice to break the chain
Don't you get played
Don't you let them hand you you're fate
Don't you know the world is you're stage
So what you got to say
Let me hear you sound off
Let them know how you feel
If the anger inside is real
Long before the bridges are burned
The powers to be are going to hear your words
Have you been heard
Have you been walking around this world misunderstood
Have you been heard
You got to take back what you know is yours
Let me hear you sound off
Searching for truth
You know when someone's lying to you
We all know how it feels to be used
Do they take us all for fools
They break they're own rules
The hypocrites are leading us through
Do what they say and nod as they do
Or do we have a right to choose
Let me hear you sound off
Let them know how you feel
If the anger inside is real
Long before the bridges are burned
The powers to be are going to hear your words
Have you been heard
Have you been walking around this world misunderstood
Have you been heard
You got to take back what you know is yours
Let me hear you sound off
I hope you get the message loud and clear
We will never disappear
We will ask the questions you fear
Its the only thing you'll hear
Sound off
Let them know how you feel
If the anger inside is real
Long before the bridges are burned
The powers to be are going to hear your words
Have you been heard
Have you been walking around this world misunderstood
Have you been heard
You got to take back what you know is yours
Let me hear you sound off
Feeling like you're losing your faith
Feeling like you're fading away
Without a voice to break the chain
Don't you get played
Don't you let them hand you you're fate
Don't you know the world is you're stage
So what you got to say
Let me hear you sound off
Let them know how you feel
If the anger inside is real
Long before the bridges are burned
The powers to be are going to hear your words
Have you been heard
Have you been walking around this world misunderstood
Have you been heard
You got to take back what you know is yours
Let me hear you sound off
Searching for truth
You know when someone's lying to you
We all know how it feels to be used
Do they take us all for fools
They break they're own rules
The hypocrites are leading us through
Do what they say and nod as they do
Or do we have a right to choose
Let me hear you sound off
Let them know how you feel
If the anger inside is real
Long before the bridges are burned
The powers to be are going to hear your words
Have you been heard
Have you been walking around this world misunderstood
Have you been heard
You got to take back what you know is yours
Let me hear you sound off
I hope you get the message loud and clear
We will never disappear
We will ask the questions you fear
Its the only thing you'll hear
Sound off
Let them know how you feel
If the anger inside is real
Long before the bridges are burned
The powers to be are going to hear your words
Have you been heard
Have you been walking around this world misunderstood
Have you been heard
You got to take back what you know is yours
Let me hear you sound off
Lyrics submitted by MusicFREAK20
Sound Off Lyrics as written by Joell Ortiz Dominick Wickliffe
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
BTW, I think the lyric is not:
"Do what they say and nod as they do"
I'm pretty sure it's:
"Do as they say and not as they do"
It sounds closer and works better with the theme of the song.