"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.
In elementary I was the lowest class,
A bitter little kid good in science and math.
Well, I never had a problem making other kids laugh
When they'd steal my lunch or kick me in the ass
But I could see the surface from there,
Choking up and grasping for air,
No sanctuary but my secret lair,
My reason for resistance was clear.
Telephone never heard a ring
To my comic books I would cling,
Talking to girls was an alien thing, yeah
Fat boy!
Like I was when I was young, and it's hard growing up when they're putting you down.
Fat boy!
Like I'm living right now when I ain’t got luck, I ain’t got nothing.
So I slammed my door and I locked myself in
With dungeons and dragons and Todd McFarlane,
Staring so hard at the pages I pecked
Just to steal my attention away from the attacks
A bitter little kid good in science and math.
Well, I never had a problem making other kids laugh
When they'd steal my lunch or kick me in the ass
But I could see the surface from there,
Choking up and grasping for air,
No sanctuary but my secret lair,
My reason for resistance was clear.
Telephone never heard a ring
To my comic books I would cling,
Talking to girls was an alien thing, yeah
Fat boy!
Like I was when I was young, and it's hard growing up when they're putting you down.
Fat boy!
Like I'm living right now when I ain’t got luck, I ain’t got nothing.
So I slammed my door and I locked myself in
With dungeons and dragons and Todd McFarlane,
Staring so hard at the pages I pecked
Just to steal my attention away from the attacks
Lyrics submitted by PLANES
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