"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.
Packin' up with tears in our eyes,
It's a pastime I'm used to
Gettin' good at saying goodbye,
Since it's all I ever seem to do
Oh, I've been floatin' around way too easy
Go, wherever the breeze wants to leave me
Never know when I'm coming through,
But when I do I'm gonna run to you
'Cause it feels right
How can you make it better?
Whenever I'm with you
How will we push on through?
So I don't know why
How can I keep us together?
I'm living here without you
I'm living here without you
I had a strange dream the other night,
Everything was better than I knew
The roads were gold, water was wine
And when we kissed the magic grew
I said, Oh how can it be now
Oh, I just felt my feet touch the ground
I'm in love, I'm in love all the time
But it feels so new with you
'Cause it feels right
How can you make it better?
Whenever I'm with you
How will we push on through?
So I don't know why
How can I keep us together?
I'm living here without you
I'm living here without you
There's nothing to say now
You've run out of ways to let me down
There's too much space, not enough time
Unlike the days you were mine
Whenever I'm with you
So I don't know why
I'm living here without you
'Cause it feels right
How can you make it better?
Whenever I'm with you
How will we push on through?
So I don't know why
How can I keep us together?
I'm living here without you
I'm living here without you
Packin' up with tears in our eyes,
It's the pastime I'm used to
Gettin' good at saying goodbye,
'Cause it's all we ever seem to do
It's a pastime I'm used to
Gettin' good at saying goodbye,
Since it's all I ever seem to do
Oh, I've been floatin' around way too easy
Go, wherever the breeze wants to leave me
Never know when I'm coming through,
But when I do I'm gonna run to you
'Cause it feels right
How can you make it better?
Whenever I'm with you
How will we push on through?
So I don't know why
How can I keep us together?
I'm living here without you
I'm living here without you
I had a strange dream the other night,
Everything was better than I knew
The roads were gold, water was wine
And when we kissed the magic grew
I said, Oh how can it be now
Oh, I just felt my feet touch the ground
I'm in love, I'm in love all the time
But it feels so new with you
'Cause it feels right
How can you make it better?
Whenever I'm with you
How will we push on through?
So I don't know why
How can I keep us together?
I'm living here without you
I'm living here without you
There's nothing to say now
You've run out of ways to let me down
There's too much space, not enough time
Unlike the days you were mine
Whenever I'm with you
So I don't know why
I'm living here without you
'Cause it feels right
How can you make it better?
Whenever I'm with you
How will we push on through?
So I don't know why
How can I keep us together?
I'm living here without you
I'm living here without you
Packin' up with tears in our eyes,
It's the pastime I'm used to
Gettin' good at saying goodbye,
'Cause it's all we ever seem to do
Lyrics submitted by LovelyMauve
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Great song! I heard it live a few weeks ago and it was amazing. I can't wait for Water Colours!
Some relationships, no matter how good a match the people are, just don't work for some reason or another. This song illustrates that quite well, I think. The two people love each other dearly and love to be around one another, but they have to break up. I get the the feeling that they possibly don't communicate very well or have some other sort of fundamental problem that overrides all the benefits of the relationship. Because they still love each other, they're very bitter about breaking up, hence "packing up with tears in our eyes, it's a pastime I'm used to / getting used to saying goodbye 'cuz it's all we ever seem to do" This doesn't necessarily mean relationships don't last, but breaking up a relationship that still feels like it could work makes for a pretty dim outlook on the world. like, we're so in love but we still broke up, so how could any couple ever make it work?
Really powerful stuff. When I heard it for the first time, I had to back up and reply the last stanza a few times just because it was so poignant.