"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.
Go while the going is good
Knowing when to leave
May be the smartest thing that anyone can learn, go
I'm afraid my heart isn't very smart
Fly while you still have your wings
Knowing when to leave
Won't ever let you reach the point of no return, fly
Foolish as it seems, I still have my dreams
So I keep hoping, day after day, as I wait for the man I need
Night after night and I wish for a love that can be
Though I'm sure that
No one can tell where a wishes and hopes will lead
Time, how I feel there is happiness just waiting there for me
When someone
Walks in your life, you just better be sure he's right
'Cause if he's wrong, there are heartaches and tears you must face
Keep both of your
Eyes on the door, never let it get out of sight
Just be prepared when the time has come for you to run away
Sail when the wind starts to blow
But like a fool I don't know when to leave
Knowing when to leave
May be the smartest thing that anyone can learn, go
I'm afraid my heart isn't very smart
Fly while you still have your wings
Knowing when to leave
Won't ever let you reach the point of no return, fly
Foolish as it seems, I still have my dreams
So I keep hoping, day after day, as I wait for the man I need
Night after night and I wish for a love that can be
Though I'm sure that
No one can tell where a wishes and hopes will lead
Time, how I feel there is happiness just waiting there for me
When someone
Walks in your life, you just better be sure he's right
'Cause if he's wrong, there are heartaches and tears you must face
Keep both of your
Eyes on the door, never let it get out of sight
Just be prepared when the time has come for you to run away
Sail when the wind starts to blow
But like a fool I don't know when to leave
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Knowing When to Leave Lyrics as written by Burt Bacharach Hal David
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Downtown Music Publishing, 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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