"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 can't help myself
I keep ending up in Memorial Park
Breaking finger nails while I claw at the frozen ground
'Cause as long as I'm home
I can dig up these bones
There's no point to just letting go
And as long as you've known me I've been backing out slowly
I won't end up underneath the snow
Snow
This is where it's been
The manger scene every Christmas
Next to the cannon
Every year someone steals baby Jesus
Nobody stops them
It's a nice tradition
I'll put my life back together in silence
While writing songs on Molly's guitar
And Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
So I moved myself and two boxes of things
To the basement room at Richie's house
And I'm happy here for now
Because I've been in search of some steadier footing
Or just a place to call home
I know that I'm introspective when broken
But I've been spending most of my nights here alone
And that doesn't scare me like it did a year ago
I'll put my life back together in silence
While writing songs on Molly's guitar
And Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
I had dreams of myself
As the Allen Ginsberg of this generation
But without the talent, madness or vision
I guess it's looking hopeless
We're a city left digging out cars in unison
And humming like we've healed
I know we've got miles to go
But I'm putting my shoulder to the wheel
I keep ending up in Memorial Park
Breaking finger nails while I claw at the frozen ground
'Cause as long as I'm home
I can dig up these bones
There's no point to just letting go
And as long as you've known me I've been backing out slowly
I won't end up underneath the snow
Snow
This is where it's been
The manger scene every Christmas
Next to the cannon
Every year someone steals baby Jesus
Nobody stops them
It's a nice tradition
I'll put my life back together in silence
While writing songs on Molly's guitar
And Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
So I moved myself and two boxes of things
To the basement room at Richie's house
And I'm happy here for now
Because I've been in search of some steadier footing
Or just a place to call home
I know that I'm introspective when broken
But I've been spending most of my nights here alone
And that doesn't scare me like it did a year ago
I'll put my life back together in silence
While writing songs on Molly's guitar
And Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
Suburbia, stop pushing
I know what I'm doing
I had dreams of myself
As the Allen Ginsberg of this generation
But without the talent, madness or vision
I guess it's looking hopeless
We're a city left digging out cars in unison
And humming like we've healed
I know we've got miles to go
But I'm putting my shoulder to the wheel
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