"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 had a dream last night about a village far away
They lived happily and freely, they would sing and dance and play
All of them together they lived only as one
They had no use for weapons and had never seen a gun
Then one day some visitors decided to pass through
They brought with them some friends and their group very quickly grew
They cut down all the trees and cleared out all the land
For this the villagers said they would not stand
Their request for them to leave was met with guns and blades
They imprisoned village leaders and put some of them in graves
The villagers were peaceful and did not know what to do
Their town was taken over and their leaders were gone too
So they all joined up together, their army fierce and strong
But instead of drawing weapons they fought with verse and song
They played the reggae beat, they lifted up their feet
They all stood together and reclaimed their street
They lived happily and freely, they would sing and dance and play
All of them together they lived only as one
They had no use for weapons and had never seen a gun
Then one day some visitors decided to pass through
They brought with them some friends and their group very quickly grew
They cut down all the trees and cleared out all the land
For this the villagers said they would not stand
Their request for them to leave was met with guns and blades
They imprisoned village leaders and put some of them in graves
The villagers were peaceful and did not know what to do
Their town was taken over and their leaders were gone too
So they all joined up together, their army fierce and strong
But instead of drawing weapons they fought with verse and song
They played the reggae beat, they lifted up their feet
They all stood together and reclaimed their street
Lyrics submitted by TheGreat08OhYeah
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