"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.
Hey, ey, ey, ey, ey, ey
See every good girl looking for a bad boy
You know them 'let they pants sag' boys
'cause I love the way his tattoos show (ooh)
And I love the way his dreads hang low (ooh)
Drop top on the benz, stunting real low (real low)
On twenty-two's at a minimal (minimal)
And we rolling down the street (street)
And them jay's on his feet (feet)
And his chains all on me
Yeah, his chains all on me, yeah
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
My baby from the block so he know just how to show me love
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
All around the world, yeah, every girl know what's up
I swear all, I swear all, I swear all (i swear all them girls)
All the girls (tell me what they like?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
All, all the girls (tell me what they want?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
See every good girl looking for a bad boy
You know them 'grill-lit smile' boys
And he always got some bands in his jeans
And I love it when his hands all over me
Snapbacks, tattoos and a v-neck (v-neck) hey!
Is all he'll ever need to be fresh (fresh)
And we rolling down the street (street)
And them jay's on his feet (feet)
And his chains all on me
Yeah, his chains all on me, yeah
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
My baby from the block so he know just how to show me love
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
All around the world, yeah, every girl know what's up
I swear all, I swear all
I swear all (i swear all them girls)
All the girls (tell me what they like?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
All, all the girls (tell me what they want?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
I said he knows how to love me
And every time he touch me
I'm so high when he put it down
All my ladies say, oh, oh, oh
Let me hear the ladies say
Oh, oh, ooh-oh, hey
I said he knows how to love me
And every time he touch me
I love it when my baby come around
All my ladies say, oh, oh, oh
Now everybody say, oh, oh, ooh-oh (ooh)
Hey girl
I swear all (i swear all them girls)
All the girls (tell me what they like?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
All, (all them girls) all the girls (tell me what they want?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Hey, yeah
Yeah! (oh, oh)
See every good girl looking for a bad boy
You know them 'let they pants sag' boys
'cause I love the way his tattoos show (ooh)
And I love the way his dreads hang low (ooh)
Drop top on the benz, stunting real low (real low)
On twenty-two's at a minimal (minimal)
And we rolling down the street (street)
And them jay's on his feet (feet)
And his chains all on me
Yeah, his chains all on me, yeah
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
My baby from the block so he know just how to show me love
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
All around the world, yeah, every girl know what's up
I swear all, I swear all, I swear all (i swear all them girls)
All the girls (tell me what they like?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
All, all the girls (tell me what they want?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
See every good girl looking for a bad boy
You know them 'grill-lit smile' boys
And he always got some bands in his jeans
And I love it when his hands all over me
Snapbacks, tattoos and a v-neck (v-neck) hey!
Is all he'll ever need to be fresh (fresh)
And we rolling down the street (street)
And them jay's on his feet (feet)
And his chains all on me
Yeah, his chains all on me, yeah
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
My baby from the block so he know just how to show me love
Oh! oh-oh, oh, oh
All around the world, yeah, every girl know what's up
I swear all, I swear all
I swear all (i swear all them girls)
All the girls (tell me what they like?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
All, all the girls (tell me what they want?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
I said he knows how to love me
And every time he touch me
I'm so high when he put it down
All my ladies say, oh, oh, oh
Let me hear the ladies say
Oh, oh, ooh-oh, hey
I said he knows how to love me
And every time he touch me
I love it when my baby come around
All my ladies say, oh, oh, oh
Now everybody say, oh, oh, ooh-oh (ooh)
Hey girl
I swear all (i swear all them girls)
All the girls (tell me what they like?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
All, (all them girls) all the girls (tell me what they want?)
They like them boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Boys in the hood, boys in the hood
Hey, yeah
Yeah! (oh, oh)
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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Ebba Grön
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Great version of a great song,
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Page
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