"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.
Well I pulled out of Pittsburgh rolling down that Eastern seaboard
I got my diesel wound up and she's a running like never before
There's a speed zone ahead, but alright
I don't see a cop in sight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
I got me ten forward gears and a Georgia Overdrive
I'm taking little white pills and my eyes are opened wide
I just passed a Jimmy and a White
I been passing everything in sight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Well it seems like a month since I kissed my baby goodbye
I could have a lot of women but I'm not alike some other guys
I could find one to hold me tight
But I could never make believe it's all right
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
I.C.C. is a checking on down the line
Well I'm a little overweight and my log book's 'way behind
But nothing bothers me tonight
I can dodge all the scales all right
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Well my rig's a little old but that don't mean she's slow
There's a flame from her stack and that smokes been a blowing black as coal
My home town's coming in sight
If you think I'm happy you're right
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
I got my diesel wound up and she's a running like never before
There's a speed zone ahead, but alright
I don't see a cop in sight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
I got me ten forward gears and a Georgia Overdrive
I'm taking little white pills and my eyes are opened wide
I just passed a Jimmy and a White
I been passing everything in sight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Well it seems like a month since I kissed my baby goodbye
I could have a lot of women but I'm not alike some other guys
I could find one to hold me tight
But I could never make believe it's all right
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
I.C.C. is a checking on down the line
Well I'm a little overweight and my log book's 'way behind
But nothing bothers me tonight
I can dodge all the scales all right
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Well my rig's a little old but that don't mean she's slow
There's a flame from her stack and that smokes been a blowing black as coal
My home town's coming in sight
If you think I'm happy you're right
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Six days on the road and I'm gonna make it home tonight
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
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