"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.
When you forget me
When you don't remember my name
Not even a memory
Somewhere in the back of your brain
I won't be offended
'Cause I always knew that the day would come,
When I'm not enough to make you stay
You tell me it's not possible, no way that we could break
But nothing is illogical, believe me
Like falling stars over your head
We were bound to burn out, burn like crashing cars
I'll never get over you, never over you
'Cause you are so beautiful, yeah
The world is turning
And time keeps on lingering on
The sun will be burning
Eventually you will be gone
I'll always love you
Oh, believe it or not
But baby, that's not enough to,
Not enough to stop these
Falling stars over your head
We were bound to burn out, burn like crashing cars
I'll never get over you, never over you
'Cause you are so beautiful, yeah
When it's all said and done
I'll be just a speck in the galaxy
Floating far away by gravity
Tell me it's not possible, no way that we could break
Like falling stars
Like crashing cars
Like falling stars over your head
We were bound to burn out, just like crashing cars
I'll never get over you, never over you
'Cause you are so beautiful
You are so beautiful, yeah
When you don't remember my name
Not even a memory
Somewhere in the back of your brain
I won't be offended
'Cause I always knew that the day would come,
When I'm not enough to make you stay
You tell me it's not possible, no way that we could break
But nothing is illogical, believe me
Like falling stars over your head
We were bound to burn out, burn like crashing cars
I'll never get over you, never over you
'Cause you are so beautiful, yeah
The world is turning
And time keeps on lingering on
The sun will be burning
Eventually you will be gone
I'll always love you
Oh, believe it or not
But baby, that's not enough to,
Not enough to stop these
Falling stars over your head
We were bound to burn out, burn like crashing cars
I'll never get over you, never over you
'Cause you are so beautiful, yeah
When it's all said and done
I'll be just a speck in the galaxy
Floating far away by gravity
Tell me it's not possible, no way that we could break
Like falling stars
Like crashing cars
Like falling stars over your head
We were bound to burn out, just like crashing cars
I'll never get over you, never over you
'Cause you are so beautiful
You are so beautiful, yeah
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These lyrics are wrong:
Like falling stars Over your head We were bound to burn up alive
It's supposed to be:
Like falling stars Over your head We were bound to burn out but like
Nobody has commented on this song? Wow, that's kinda sad, considering this is one lovely piece.
From what can be interpreted from the lyrics, it sounds like he's writing this to his current other half, telling her how someday he'll be insignificant and history to her but it won't matter cause he'll always continue to love her.
Or it may be a song written to someone close, or maybe even a crush.