"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.
I like fast cars and shop dreams
Chased a lot of crazy things
Left behind my share of broken pieces
This morning I turned 36
And you just remember half of it
You wonder how you out-lived Hank or Jesus
I put the rage in a river, roll in a thunder
But you kept me from going under
When that current got too heavy
I always thought I'd be a heap of metal
And a cloud of smoke, foot stuck to the pedal
Sold for parts like a junkyard rusted-out Chevy
Fear I've had none,
What the hell made you wanna love
A man who was gonna die young?
In the mirror I saw my surprise,
Who knew gray hairs like to hide on a head
Didn't think he'd live past thirty
If I make it thirty more
It's the brown that you'll be looking for
As you run your fingers through
Say slow down honey
I put the rage in a river, roll in a thunder
But you kept me from going under
When that current got too heavy
I always thought I'd be a heap of metal
And a cloud of smoke, foot stuck to the pedal
Sold for parts like a junkyard rusted-out Chevy
Fear I've had none,
What the hell made you wanna love
A man who was gonna die young?
Call it intuition, or call it crazy
Just thought by now I'd be pushing up daisies
But I'd gladly stick around if we're together
So baby when you bow your head tonight
Could you tell the Lord I've changed my mind
And with you I'd like to live forever
Chased a lot of crazy things
Left behind my share of broken pieces
This morning I turned 36
And you just remember half of it
You wonder how you out-lived Hank or Jesus
I put the rage in a river, roll in a thunder
But you kept me from going under
When that current got too heavy
I always thought I'd be a heap of metal
And a cloud of smoke, foot stuck to the pedal
Sold for parts like a junkyard rusted-out Chevy
Fear I've had none,
What the hell made you wanna love
A man who was gonna die young?
In the mirror I saw my surprise,
Who knew gray hairs like to hide on a head
Didn't think he'd live past thirty
If I make it thirty more
It's the brown that you'll be looking for
As you run your fingers through
Say slow down honey
I put the rage in a river, roll in a thunder
But you kept me from going under
When that current got too heavy
I always thought I'd be a heap of metal
And a cloud of smoke, foot stuck to the pedal
Sold for parts like a junkyard rusted-out Chevy
Fear I've had none,
What the hell made you wanna love
A man who was gonna die young?
Call it intuition, or call it crazy
Just thought by now I'd be pushing up daisies
But I'd gladly stick around if we're together
So baby when you bow your head tonight
Could you tell the Lord I've changed my mind
And with you I'd like to live forever
Lyrics submitted by harderman61
A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young Lyrics as written by Jeremy Spillman Eric Church
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I look at this song and thing he is looking at his life up to that point on his birthday and he always envisioned he was going to die young, but had something better on store