"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.
Well I cut open my palm and held it out to you
You do the same with your own army surplus blade
My blood's never as warm as I expect it
You grab my hand adorned in wildflower warpaint
You made yellows out of marigolds
You made purple out of camellias
We charged in first into the woods with bows and arrows drawn
Crudely fashioned sticks and rubber bands and spray paint
We swore ourselves protected from all the evil in the world
You weren't born my brother, but you're gonna die that way
You ran alone (you ran alone)
In the falling snow
Backwards down Wickes Road
I watched your bruises grow (your bruises grow)
Strictly beautiful
Purple and yellow
You said don't
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Your father came in angry like a thunderstorm
Searching room from room and I watched color draining from your face
Fog lights started forming underneath all of your floorboards
We sat terrified waiting on an earthquake
I watched you put on a brave face
I wanted so badly to be brave
You ran alone (you ran alone)
In the falling snow
Backwards down Wickes Road
I watched your bruises grow (your bruises grow)
Strictly beautiful
Purple and yellow
You said don't
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Kicked you out to teach you what a man is
But I don't think I'll ever know what that means
They'll put a gun into your hand and call you weak
Until you're violent
Don't believe it
They're hateful 'cause they're empty
We've got a chance to break the cycle
We could be the heroes that we always said we'd be
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Home, home
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Home, home
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
You do the same with your own army surplus blade
My blood's never as warm as I expect it
You grab my hand adorned in wildflower warpaint
You made yellows out of marigolds
You made purple out of camellias
We charged in first into the woods with bows and arrows drawn
Crudely fashioned sticks and rubber bands and spray paint
We swore ourselves protected from all the evil in the world
You weren't born my brother, but you're gonna die that way
You ran alone (you ran alone)
In the falling snow
Backwards down Wickes Road
I watched your bruises grow (your bruises grow)
Strictly beautiful
Purple and yellow
You said don't
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Your father came in angry like a thunderstorm
Searching room from room and I watched color draining from your face
Fog lights started forming underneath all of your floorboards
We sat terrified waiting on an earthquake
I watched you put on a brave face
I wanted so badly to be brave
You ran alone (you ran alone)
In the falling snow
Backwards down Wickes Road
I watched your bruises grow (your bruises grow)
Strictly beautiful
Purple and yellow
You said don't
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Don't take me home
Kicked you out to teach you what a man is
But I don't think I'll ever know what that means
They'll put a gun into your hand and call you weak
Until you're violent
Don't believe it
They're hateful 'cause they're empty
We've got a chance to break the cycle
We could be the heroes that we always said we'd be
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Home, home
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Home, home
Don't take me home, don't take me home, don't take me
Lyrics submitted by b3hr, edited by x-Grinchy-x
I Wanted So Badly to be Brave Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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Fast Car
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