"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.
We wanted to find love
We wanted success
Until nothing was enough
Until my middle name was excess
Somehow I lost touch
When you went out of sight
When you got lost into the city
Got lost into the night
I was in need of help
Heading to blackout
'Till someone told me "run on in honey
Before somebody blows your goddamn brains out"
You shoplifted as a child
I had a model's smile
You carried all my hopes
Until something broke inside
But now
We float
Take life as it comes
We float
Take life as it comes
So will we die of shock?
Die without a trial?
Die on Good Friday?
While holding each other tight
This is kind of about you
This is kind of about me
We just kinda lost our way
We were looking to be free
But one day
We'll float
Take life as it comes
We'll float
Take life as it comes
But one day
We'll float
Take life as it comes
But one day
We'll float
Take life as it comes
But one day
We wanted success
Until nothing was enough
Until my middle name was excess
Somehow I lost touch
When you went out of sight
When you got lost into the city
Got lost into the night
I was in need of help
Heading to blackout
'Till someone told me "run on in honey
Before somebody blows your goddamn brains out"
You shoplifted as a child
I had a model's smile
You carried all my hopes
Until something broke inside
But now
We float
Take life as it comes
We float
Take life as it comes
So will we die of shock?
Die without a trial?
Die on Good Friday?
While holding each other tight
This is kind of about you
This is kind of about me
We just kinda lost our way
We were looking to be free
But one day
We'll float
Take life as it comes
We'll float
Take life as it comes
But one day
We'll float
Take life as it comes
But one day
We'll float
Take life as it comes
But one day
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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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i love this song!