"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.
I've loved you since the very first day
When I caught you looking my way
A smile and just knew it.
And up until you came along, no one ever heard my song,
Now its climbing with a bullet.
Its nice to have someone, so honestly devoted,
But when it's said and done, girl I hope you know that,
The traveling, the singing, it don't mean nothing without you
The fast cars, the guitars, they are all just second to,
This life, this love that you and I have been dreaming of, for so long
It'd all be as good as gone, without you.
Oh ho, without you, hey hey
Along comes a baby girl, and suddenly my little world,
Just got a whole lot bigger, yes it did.
And people that I barely knew, who love me 'cause I'm part of you
Man it's tough to figure
How two souls can be, miles from one another
But still you and me, have somehow found each other.
The traveling, the singing, it don't mean nothing without you
The fast cars, the guitars, they are all just second to,
This life, this love that you and I have been dreaming of, for so long
It'd all be as good as gone, without you.
Without you, oh oh
Without you I'd survive, but I'd have to have the notion
That I could live this life, just going through the motions
The traveling, the singing, it don't mean nothing without you
The fast cars, the guitars, they are all just second to,
This life, this love that you and I have been building up so high
It's never gonna touch the sky, without you.
Mm, without you
Without you, baby, baby, baby without you
Without you.
When I caught you looking my way
A smile and just knew it.
And up until you came along, no one ever heard my song,
Now its climbing with a bullet.
Its nice to have someone, so honestly devoted,
But when it's said and done, girl I hope you know that,
The traveling, the singing, it don't mean nothing without you
The fast cars, the guitars, they are all just second to,
This life, this love that you and I have been dreaming of, for so long
It'd all be as good as gone, without you.
Oh ho, without you, hey hey
Along comes a baby girl, and suddenly my little world,
Just got a whole lot bigger, yes it did.
And people that I barely knew, who love me 'cause I'm part of you
Man it's tough to figure
How two souls can be, miles from one another
But still you and me, have somehow found each other.
The traveling, the singing, it don't mean nothing without you
The fast cars, the guitars, they are all just second to,
This life, this love that you and I have been dreaming of, for so long
It'd all be as good as gone, without you.
Without you, oh oh
Without you I'd survive, but I'd have to have the notion
That I could live this life, just going through the motions
The traveling, the singing, it don't mean nothing without you
The fast cars, the guitars, they are all just second to,
This life, this love that you and I have been building up so high
It's never gonna touch the sky, without you.
Mm, without you
Without you, baby, baby, baby without you
Without you.
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