"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.
I said, 'I wanna come over'
You said, 'Okay, just come over'
Your friends are all on the couch
Your friends said, 'Let's walk around'
I'll pretend your friends are my friends
And kinda try not to offend them
But I won't let you see anything real
Let you know, there's limits to
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
It's one particular point of view
This group dynamic caters to
It's a predictable point of view
I think you know when it caters to you
And if you do know, don't act like you don't
'Cause it's really annoying
And if you don't know, well, let's just say
You're a lot, lot stupider than I thought
I'll pretend your friends are my friends
But I don't wanna hear you defend them
In fact, that kind of insults me
And I kinda don't really wanna be here right
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago, ago
Okay, your whole thing put me in
Negative space for way too fucking long
The only thing that I managed to say during that time was
'I hate danger'
What I really should have said was
'You're so not dangerous'
'You're so not what you say you are at all'
You said, 'Okay, just come over'
Your friends are all on the couch
Your friends said, 'Let's walk around'
I'll pretend your friends are my friends
And kinda try not to offend them
But I won't let you see anything real
Let you know, there's limits to
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
It's one particular point of view
This group dynamic caters to
It's a predictable point of view
I think you know when it caters to you
And if you do know, don't act like you don't
'Cause it's really annoying
And if you don't know, well, let's just say
You're a lot, lot stupider than I thought
I'll pretend your friends are my friends
But I don't wanna hear you defend them
In fact, that kind of insults me
And I kinda don't really wanna be here right
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago
I stopped talking an hour ago, ago
Okay, your whole thing put me in
Negative space for way too fucking long
The only thing that I managed to say during that time was
'I hate danger'
What I really should have said was
'You're so not dangerous'
'You're so not what you say you are at all'
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this song caused me to fall in love with bikini kill