"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.
Sailor´s coming home again
From over the ocean
He´s been away so long
He´s forgotten his name
Left it in a heart somewhere
No one to remind him
Sold it to a stranger
She took it away
There comes a time
When you understand
Falling in love
Is part of the plan
And you can stay awake tonight
Thinking up a dozen names
I can only sleep in your arms
So when I stay awake
I´ll sail those same oceans again
So when I tilt my hat
To the breeze of the evening
Succumb to the flowers
Who say they´ll marry me
Then my lover walk away
Hang us like a painting
So there´s no more changes
No more
Tales of the sea
You got to get out
I understand
Losing yourself
Wasn´t part of the plan
And you can stay awake tonight
Thinking up a dozen names
I can only sleep in your arms
So when I stay awake
I´ll sail those same oceans again
Sailor´s coming home again
From over the ocean
He´s been away so long
He´s forgotten his name
Left it in a bar somewhere
One drunken evening
If you talk to strangers baby
You might not come home
There comes a time
When you understand
Falling apart
Isn´t part of the plan
This song is for Jack Thompson
From over the ocean
He´s been away so long
He´s forgotten his name
Left it in a heart somewhere
No one to remind him
Sold it to a stranger
She took it away
There comes a time
When you understand
Falling in love
Is part of the plan
And you can stay awake tonight
Thinking up a dozen names
I can only sleep in your arms
So when I stay awake
I´ll sail those same oceans again
So when I tilt my hat
To the breeze of the evening
Succumb to the flowers
Who say they´ll marry me
Then my lover walk away
Hang us like a painting
So there´s no more changes
No more
Tales of the sea
You got to get out
I understand
Losing yourself
Wasn´t part of the plan
And you can stay awake tonight
Thinking up a dozen names
I can only sleep in your arms
So when I stay awake
I´ll sail those same oceans again
Sailor´s coming home again
From over the ocean
He´s been away so long
He´s forgotten his name
Left it in a bar somewhere
One drunken evening
If you talk to strangers baby
You might not come home
There comes a time
When you understand
Falling apart
Isn´t part of the plan
This song is for Jack Thompson
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Sail Those Same Oceans Lyrics as written by John Morris Garth Adam
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
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