"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.
She sees the world through TV screens
All of her friends in magazines
But everyday she lives a broken dream, yeah
Making her own reality
There's lots of make-up on her face
To cover up an empty space
But there's a lot behind those big blue eyes
She just don't realize
Everybody's gone and lost their mind
It's just the days we live in
Most of the time
Get up off the dark
Open up your eyes
You'll discover there's a world outside (world outside)
To fix a broken heart
You have to try
Pick it up, pick it up
It's a beautiful life
Beautiful life, beautiful life
It's a beautiful life, beautiful life
He got his fortune on the plate
But all that money won't change fate
He's got 6 zeroes but no one to share it with
No friends, no girl, no one in the world
Everybody's gone and lost their mind
It's just the days we live in
Most of the time, yeah
Get up off the dark (get up off the dark)
Open up your eyes (open up your eyes)
You'll discover there's a world outside (World outside)
To fix a broken heart (To fix a broken heart)
You have to try
Pick it up, pick it up
It's a beautiful life
Beautiful life, beautiful life.
It's a beautiful life, beautiful life (beautiful life)
We are not so different, you and I
'Cause everybody's got a place to hide
But it's just the things we live in (things we live in), hmm
Most of the time
Get up off the dark (get up off the dark)
Open up your eyes
You'll discover there's a world outside (there's a world outside)
To fix a broken heart (to fix a broken heart)
You have to try
Pick it up, pick it up
It's a beautiful life (beautiful life)
Beautiful life, beautiful life, beautiful life
It's a beautiful life (here's a beautiful life)
Beautiful life, oh ooh, beautiful life, beautiful life
All of her friends in magazines
But everyday she lives a broken dream, yeah
Making her own reality
There's lots of make-up on her face
To cover up an empty space
But there's a lot behind those big blue eyes
She just don't realize
Everybody's gone and lost their mind
It's just the days we live in
Most of the time
Get up off the dark
Open up your eyes
You'll discover there's a world outside (world outside)
To fix a broken heart
You have to try
Pick it up, pick it up
It's a beautiful life
Beautiful life, beautiful life
It's a beautiful life, beautiful life
He got his fortune on the plate
But all that money won't change fate
He's got 6 zeroes but no one to share it with
No friends, no girl, no one in the world
Everybody's gone and lost their mind
It's just the days we live in
Most of the time, yeah
Get up off the dark (get up off the dark)
Open up your eyes (open up your eyes)
You'll discover there's a world outside (World outside)
To fix a broken heart (To fix a broken heart)
You have to try
Pick it up, pick it up
It's a beautiful life
Beautiful life, beautiful life.
It's a beautiful life, beautiful life (beautiful life)
We are not so different, you and I
'Cause everybody's got a place to hide
But it's just the things we live in (things we live in), hmm
Most of the time
Get up off the dark (get up off the dark)
Open up your eyes
You'll discover there's a world outside (there's a world outside)
To fix a broken heart (to fix a broken heart)
You have to try
Pick it up, pick it up
It's a beautiful life (beautiful life)
Beautiful life, beautiful life, beautiful life
It's a beautiful life (here's a beautiful life)
Beautiful life, oh ooh, beautiful life, beautiful life
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How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.