"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.
Just one more kiss, she'll have to miss, this night with you
Now you're guilty of this secret love, as I am too
You'll get used to telling lies, feeling sorry when she cries
Now that the strings aren't attached, you'll catch on, we've done ourpart
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Lesson number one, we've just begun to hurt her so
And with lesson two she'll long for you, when lights are low
And when we get to lesson three, when she gets down on her knees
Begs you to stop at the door just before she comes a-part
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Now we've made a trail of tears for her to follow
And we've thought of every line that she might swallow
And with lesson four there will be no more for her to bear
And on some dark night we'll dim the lights on this affair
Then she'll find somebody new, and he'll likely hurt her too
Cause there must be millions just like you and me, practiced in
The art
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Oh and this is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way,
This is the way,
This is the way
This is the way
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Now you're guilty of this secret love, as I am too
You'll get used to telling lies, feeling sorry when she cries
Now that the strings aren't attached, you'll catch on, we've done ourpart
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Lesson number one, we've just begun to hurt her so
And with lesson two she'll long for you, when lights are low
And when we get to lesson three, when she gets down on her knees
Begs you to stop at the door just before she comes a-part
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Now we've made a trail of tears for her to follow
And we've thought of every line that she might swallow
And with lesson four there will be no more for her to bear
And on some dark night we'll dim the lights on this affair
Then she'll find somebody new, and he'll likely hurt her too
Cause there must be millions just like you and me, practiced in
The art
Oh, and this is the way we make a broken heart
Oh and this is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way we make a broken heart
Ay yi yi yi yi yi yi yi
This is the way,
This is the way,
This is the way
This is the way
Oh, this is the way we make a broken heart
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
The Way We Make a Broken Heart Lyrics as written by John Hiatt
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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