"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.
if I were a bird I would fly to the branch by your window
and I'd watch as you slept and you breathed in and out
so contented and slow
and the night would go by and the sun it would rise
and I'd be there to tell you hello
and to sing you that love song
that you have been waiting to hear
that I wrote you last year
and you'd pat my head and you'd get out of bed
and you'd tell me you loved me the same
and I'd hop through your window and revert to my shape
and we would go on with our day
then we'd go down to fifth street and buy us some coffee
and talk about all sorts of things
but the day would pass and I'd say
"alas, I must return to my habitat"
and with three final words I'd change back to the bird
and we'd start the process again
yes we'd start the process again
and I'd watch as you slept and you breathed in and out
so contented and slow
and the night would go by and the sun it would rise
and I'd be there to tell you hello
and to sing you that love song
that you have been waiting to hear
that I wrote you last year
and you'd pat my head and you'd get out of bed
and you'd tell me you loved me the same
and I'd hop through your window and revert to my shape
and we would go on with our day
then we'd go down to fifth street and buy us some coffee
and talk about all sorts of things
but the day would pass and I'd say
"alas, I must return to my habitat"
and with three final words I'd change back to the bird
and we'd start the process again
yes we'd start the process again
Lyrics submitted by lyricsdude
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Fast Car
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Great version of a great song,
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