"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.
The time had come at last.
We said a last goodbye.
And tho' we both were sad
Neither one could cry.
Once in love, love now gone
We had to start anew.
And while we found it hard to face,
It's what we all go through.
Sometimes you try
To understand
How love can come
Then go again.
Just when you think
Your heart won't mend,
It's love that finds you
In the end.
Many years have passed
Since we went separate ways.
I saw her on the street.
We weren't sure what to say.
But as we talked
Holding our own kids,
She said what we both knew:
Fate had someone in the cards
But it just wasn't you.
Sometimes you try
To understand
How love can come
Then go again.
Just when you think
Your heart won't mend,
It's love that finds you
In the end.
Young love's always so intense
Tho' not always making sense.
And while it's hard to see,
It's not always meant to be.
We were young, we thought we knew
What love's supposed to feel.
But now that love has found us both,
We know that it's for real.
Sometimes you try
To understand
How love can come
Then go again.
Just when you think
Your heart won't mend,
It's love that finds you
In the end. (Repeat slowly)
We said a last goodbye.
And tho' we both were sad
Neither one could cry.
Once in love, love now gone
We had to start anew.
And while we found it hard to face,
It's what we all go through.
Sometimes you try
To understand
How love can come
Then go again.
Just when you think
Your heart won't mend,
It's love that finds you
In the end.
Many years have passed
Since we went separate ways.
I saw her on the street.
We weren't sure what to say.
But as we talked
Holding our own kids,
She said what we both knew:
Fate had someone in the cards
But it just wasn't you.
Sometimes you try
To understand
How love can come
Then go again.
Just when you think
Your heart won't mend,
It's love that finds you
In the end.
Young love's always so intense
Tho' not always making sense.
And while it's hard to see,
It's not always meant to be.
We were young, we thought we knew
What love's supposed to feel.
But now that love has found us both,
We know that it's for real.
Sometimes you try
To understand
How love can come
Then go again.
Just when you think
Your heart won't mend,
It's love that finds you
In the end. (Repeat slowly)
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Sometimes Lyrics as written by Les Reed Barry Mason
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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Yo La Tengo
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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.
Great version of a great song,
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