"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.
He's got to be sure that he's a box office draw
In every move he makes
And what is more if he's a box office draw
The more the box office takes
His publicity has just got to be
The best in headline news
If he should forget and fall into debt
The more the box office lose
He thought he'd be a star
He's done all right so far
But stars don't always shine
He's gonna fade in time
He can't face the facts
And he can't pay his tax
He's up against the law
He's feeling so low that he misses the show
He's not a box office draw anymore
La la la la la la la la...
He thought he'd be a star
He's done all right so far
But stars don't always shine
He's gonna fade in time
He can't face the facts
And he can't pay his tax
He's up against the law
He's feeling so low that he misses the show
He's not a box office draw anymore
In every move he makes
And what is more if he's a box office draw
The more the box office takes
His publicity has just got to be
The best in headline news
If he should forget and fall into debt
The more the box office lose
He thought he'd be a star
He's done all right so far
But stars don't always shine
He's gonna fade in time
He can't face the facts
And he can't pay his tax
He's up against the law
He's feeling so low that he misses the show
He's not a box office draw anymore
La la la la la la la la...
He thought he'd be a star
He's done all right so far
But stars don't always shine
He's gonna fade in time
He can't face the facts
And he can't pay his tax
He's up against the law
He's feeling so low that he misses the show
He's not a box office draw anymore
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
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