"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.
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
American hostages in Iran
Heard daily on the news
Forget about Vietnam
You can ignore the 32
There are 32 women in Armagh jail
Political prisoners here at home
The British state's got nothing to lose
It's a subject better left alone
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
Alleged crimes withheld information
She gets no sanitation
Dries her shit on her cell wall
Feeling cold and sick
She gets a couple of valium
Now she's relaxed for the next interrogation
Naked spread-eagled on her back
It's a better position for an internal examination
It's a better position for giving information
We don't torture
We don't torture
An armed guard squad she gets a beating
Bleeding and wounded she's stopped eating
Has a baby gets nothing for pain they came and took her baby away
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
We don't torture
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
American hostages in Iran
Heard daily on the news
Forget about Vietnam
You can ignore the 32
There are 32 women in Armagh jail
Political prisoners here at home
The British state's got nothing to lose
It's a subject better left alone
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
Alleged crimes withheld information
She gets no sanitation
Dries her shit on her cell wall
Feeling cold and sick
She gets a couple of valium
Now she's relaxed for the next interrogation
Naked spread-eagled on her back
It's a better position for an internal examination
It's a better position for giving information
We don't torture
We don't torture
An armed guard squad she gets a beating
Bleeding and wounded she's stopped eating
Has a baby gets nothing for pain they came and took her baby away
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
We don't torture we're a civilised nation
We're avoiding any confrontation
We don't torture
We don't torture
We don't torture
Lyrics submitted by synapsistapped
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Page
Ed Sheeran
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Ed Sheeran
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