"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.
(Oh oh oh)
(Oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
(Oh oh)
Stand there like a ghost
Shaking come the rain, rain
She'll open up the door
And say, are you insane, -ane?
Say it's been a long six months (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
And you were too afraid to tell her what you want, want (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl
And then you say
I want you for worse or for better
I would wait for ever and ever
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl
Remind her how it used to be, be
Yeah, with pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks
Tell her how you must've lost your mind (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
When you left her all alone and never told her why, why (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
And that's how it works
That's how you lost the girl
And now you say
I want you for worse or for better
I would wait for ever and ever (ever and ever)
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, yeah
And you could know, oh
That I don't want you to go
Remind me how it used to be
Pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks
And say you want me, yeah, yeah
And then you say I want you for worse or for better (worse or for better)
I would wait for ever and ever (ever and ever)
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever (I want you for ever and ever)
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
(That's how it works) and that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh (get the girl)
(That's how it works) and that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you got the girl
(Oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
(Oh oh)
Stand there like a ghost
Shaking come the rain, rain
She'll open up the door
And say, are you insane, -ane?
Say it's been a long six months (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
And you were too afraid to tell her what you want, want (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl
And then you say
I want you for worse or for better
I would wait for ever and ever
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl
Remind her how it used to be, be
Yeah, with pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks
Tell her how you must've lost your mind (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
When you left her all alone and never told her why, why (oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh, oh oh)
And that's how it works
That's how you lost the girl
And now you say
I want you for worse or for better
I would wait for ever and ever (ever and ever)
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, yeah
And you could know, oh
That I don't want you to go
Remind me how it used to be
Pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks
And say you want me, yeah, yeah
And then you say I want you for worse or for better (worse or for better)
I would wait for ever and ever (ever and ever)
Broke your heart, I'll put it back together
I would wait for ever and ever (I want you for ever and ever)
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
(That's how it works) and that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh (get the girl)
(That's how it works) and that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you get the girl, girl, oh
And that's how it works
That's how you got the girl
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