"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.
Who are you, my pretty fair maid,
Who are you, me honey?
And who are you, my pretty fair maid,
And who are you, me honey?
She answered me quite modestly, I am me mother's darling
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
And will you come to me mother's house,
When the moon is shining clearly?
And will you come to me mother's house
When the moon is shining clearly?
I'll open the door and I'll let you in
And divil 'o one will hear us
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
So I went to her house in the middle of the night
When the moon was shining clearly
So I went to her house in the middle of the night
When the moon was shining clearly
She opened the door and she let me in and divil the one did hear us
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
She took me horse by the bridle and the bit
And led him to the stable
She took me horse by the bridle and the bit
And led him to the stable
Saying "There's plenty of oats for a soldier's horse,
To eat it if he's able"
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
Then she took me by the lily-white hand
Led me to the table
Then she took me by the lily-white hand
Led me to the table
Saying "There's plenty of wine for a soldier boy,
To drink if he is able"
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
Then I got up and I made the bed
I made it nice and aisy
Then I got up and I made the bed
I made it nice and aisy
The I got up and I laid her down
Saying "Lassie, are you able? "
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
And there we lay till the break of day
Divil the one did hear us
And there we lay till the break of day
And divil the one did hear us
Then I arose and put on me clothes
Saying "Lassie, I must leave you"
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
And when will you return again
When will we get married?
And when will you return again
When will we get married?
When broken shells make Christmas bells
We might then get married
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
Who are you, me honey?
And who are you, my pretty fair maid,
And who are you, me honey?
She answered me quite modestly, I am me mother's darling
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
And will you come to me mother's house,
When the moon is shining clearly?
And will you come to me mother's house
When the moon is shining clearly?
I'll open the door and I'll let you in
And divil 'o one will hear us
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
So I went to her house in the middle of the night
When the moon was shining clearly
So I went to her house in the middle of the night
When the moon was shining clearly
She opened the door and she let me in and divil the one did hear us
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
She took me horse by the bridle and the bit
And led him to the stable
She took me horse by the bridle and the bit
And led him to the stable
Saying "There's plenty of oats for a soldier's horse,
To eat it if he's able"
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
Then she took me by the lily-white hand
Led me to the table
Then she took me by the lily-white hand
Led me to the table
Saying "There's plenty of wine for a soldier boy,
To drink if he is able"
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
Then I got up and I made the bed
I made it nice and aisy
Then I got up and I made the bed
I made it nice and aisy
The I got up and I laid her down
Saying "Lassie, are you able? "
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
And there we lay till the break of day
Divil the one did hear us
And there we lay till the break of day
And divil the one did hear us
Then I arose and put on me clothes
Saying "Lassie, I must leave you"
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
And when will you return again
When will we get married?
And when will you return again
When will we get married?
When broken shells make Christmas bells
We might then get married
With me
Too-ry-ay Fol-de-diddle-day Di-re fol-de-diddle Dai-rie oh
Lyrics submitted by xrowanbraex
As I Roved Out Lyrics as written by Loreena Mckennitt Dp
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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Just A Little Lovin'
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This song tells a story of the narrator (a woman) going to a girl's house for a date. It is mentioned multiple times that "divil the one did hear us," meaning that "no one heard us"; they must keep the meeting a secret for their own safety. At the end of the song, it is stated "when broken shells make Christmas bells, we might then get married"; this phrase is a sort of "when pigs fly" statement, saying that they aren't allowed to get married because they are both women. It could also refer to how their relationship might be seen as "broken" by outsiders who could see it as lesser than a relationship between a man and a woman.