"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.
Willie and Laura Mae Jones were our neighbors a long time back
They lived right down the road from us in a shack, just like our shack
The people worked the land together, and we learned to count on each other
When you live off the land you don't have the time to think about another man's coulour
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine
But that was another place and another time
We'd sit out on the front porch in the evenin' when the sun went down
Willie would play and the kids would sing and everybody would mess around
And Daddy bring on his guitar, we'd play all through the night
And every now and then ol' Willie would grin and say
'Hey you play alright' (and that made me feel so good)
I remember the best times of all when Saturday came around
We'd always stop by Willie's house and say
'Do y'all need anything from town?'
He'd say 'No, but why don't cha all stop on your way back through
And I'll get Laura Mae to cook us some barbecue (you know, they good)'
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine (yes it was)
But that was another place and another time
The years rolled past our land, and took back what they'd given
We all knew we'd have to move if we were gonna make a livin'
So we all moved on and went about our separate ways
Sure it was hard to say goodbye to Willie and Laura Mae (Jones), oh yeah
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine (yes it was)
But that was another place and another time
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine (the cotton was growin' fine)
But that was another place and another time
They lived right down the road from us in a shack, just like our shack
The people worked the land together, and we learned to count on each other
When you live off the land you don't have the time to think about another man's coulour
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine
But that was another place and another time
We'd sit out on the front porch in the evenin' when the sun went down
Willie would play and the kids would sing and everybody would mess around
And Daddy bring on his guitar, we'd play all through the night
And every now and then ol' Willie would grin and say
'Hey you play alright' (and that made me feel so good)
I remember the best times of all when Saturday came around
We'd always stop by Willie's house and say
'Do y'all need anything from town?'
He'd say 'No, but why don't cha all stop on your way back through
And I'll get Laura Mae to cook us some barbecue (you know, they good)'
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine (yes it was)
But that was another place and another time
The years rolled past our land, and took back what they'd given
We all knew we'd have to move if we were gonna make a livin'
So we all moved on and went about our separate ways
Sure it was hard to say goodbye to Willie and Laura Mae (Jones), oh yeah
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine (yes it was)
But that was another place and another time
The cotton was high and the corn was growin' fine (the cotton was growin' fine)
But that was another place and another time
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Willie and Laura Mae Jones Lyrics as written by Tony Joe White
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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