"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.
Rag mama rag, I can't believe it's true
Rag mama rag, what did you do?
I crawled up to the railroad track
Let the four nineteen scratch my back
Shag mama shag now, what's come over you
Rag mama rag, I'm a pulling out your gag
Gonna turn you a loose like an old caboose
Got a tail, I need a drag
I ask about your turtle
And you ask about the weather
Well, I can't jump the hurdle
And oh, you can't get together
And we could be relaxing in my sleeping bag
But all you want to do for me, mama
Is a rag mama rag, there's nowhere to go
Rag mama rag, come on risen up the bow
Rag mama rag, where do you roam?
Rag mama rag, bring your skinny little body back home
It's dog eat dog and cat eat mouse
You can rag mama rag all over my house
Hail stones beatin' on the roof
The bourbon is a hundred proof
It's you and me and the telephone
Our destiny is quite well known
We don't need to sit and brag
All we gotta do is
Rag mama rag, mama rag
Rag mama rag, where do you roam?
Rag mama rag, bring your skinny little body back home
Rag mama rag, what did you do?
I crawled up to the railroad track
Let the four nineteen scratch my back
Shag mama shag now, what's come over you
Rag mama rag, I'm a pulling out your gag
Gonna turn you a loose like an old caboose
Got a tail, I need a drag
I ask about your turtle
And you ask about the weather
Well, I can't jump the hurdle
And oh, you can't get together
And we could be relaxing in my sleeping bag
But all you want to do for me, mama
Is a rag mama rag, there's nowhere to go
Rag mama rag, come on risen up the bow
Rag mama rag, where do you roam?
Rag mama rag, bring your skinny little body back home
It's dog eat dog and cat eat mouse
You can rag mama rag all over my house
Hail stones beatin' on the roof
The bourbon is a hundred proof
It's you and me and the telephone
Our destiny is quite well known
We don't need to sit and brag
All we gotta do is
Rag mama rag, mama rag
Rag mama rag, where do you roam?
Rag mama rag, bring your skinny little body back home
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Rag Mama Rag Lyrics as written by Robbie Robertson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I have always loved this song and enjoyed it greatly. I played it for my brother and I asked if he liked it. He pointed out immediately something I\'d never realized - it\'s a song about menstruation. I just thought he wanted his girl to dance to ragtime music with him. No! She won\'t sleep with him because she\'s "on the rag". How did I miss this????