"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.
Revolution rock, it is a brand new rock
A bad, bad rock, this here revolution rock
Careful how you move, Mac, you dig me in me back
An' I'm so pilled up that I rattle
I have got the sharpest knife, so I cut the biggest slice
I got no time to do battle, hey
Everybody smash up your seats and rock to this
Brand new beat
This here music mash up the nation
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your ma, tell your pa everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Gonna be alright
Revolution rock, I am in a state of shock
So bad, bad rock, this here revolution rock
Careful how you slide, Clyde, all you did was glide
You poured your beer in me hat
Keep my good eye on the beat, living on fixation street
I ain't got no time for that, hey
Everybody smash up your seats and rock to this
Brand new beat
This here music mash up the nation
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your mama, tell your pa everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Gonna be alright
Revolution rock
Get that cheese-grater going, against the grain
Wearing me down
Pressure increaase
(Everybody!) Everybody smash up your seats and rock to this
Brand new beat
This here music mash up nations
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your mama, forgive your papa, everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Gonna be alright
Revolution rock
To the cruelest mobsters in Kingstown
With the hardest eyes and the cruelest tongue
Is your heart so made of rock
That the blood must run 'round the block?
Are you listening mobsters? Hey!
All people grow old, gotta die
While those kinda fools go rolling by
It's food for thought, mobsters
Young people shoot their days away
I've seen talent thrown away
All you loan sharks!
The organ plays
And they're dancing to the brand new beat
This here music mash up nation
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your ma-ma-ma-ma, tell your pa-pa-pa-pa everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Everything's gonna be alright
I say, revolution rocks
There's that old cheese grater
Rubbing me down
This must be the way out
Here's the cheap bit
Ooh la ooh la ooh la
Any song you want
Playing requests now on the bandstand
El Clash Combo
Paid fifteen dollars a day
Weddings, parties, anything
And Bongo Jazz a speciality
A bad, bad rock, this here revolution rock
Careful how you move, Mac, you dig me in me back
An' I'm so pilled up that I rattle
I have got the sharpest knife, so I cut the biggest slice
I got no time to do battle, hey
Everybody smash up your seats and rock to this
Brand new beat
This here music mash up the nation
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your ma, tell your pa everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Gonna be alright
Revolution rock, I am in a state of shock
So bad, bad rock, this here revolution rock
Careful how you slide, Clyde, all you did was glide
You poured your beer in me hat
Keep my good eye on the beat, living on fixation street
I ain't got no time for that, hey
Everybody smash up your seats and rock to this
Brand new beat
This here music mash up the nation
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your mama, tell your pa everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Gonna be alright
Revolution rock
Get that cheese-grater going, against the grain
Wearing me down
Pressure increaase
(Everybody!) Everybody smash up your seats and rock to this
Brand new beat
This here music mash up nations
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your mama, forgive your papa, everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Gonna be alright
Revolution rock
To the cruelest mobsters in Kingstown
With the hardest eyes and the cruelest tongue
Is your heart so made of rock
That the blood must run 'round the block?
Are you listening mobsters? Hey!
All people grow old, gotta die
While those kinda fools go rolling by
It's food for thought, mobsters
Young people shoot their days away
I've seen talent thrown away
All you loan sharks!
The organ plays
And they're dancing to the brand new beat
This here music mash up nation
This here music cause a sensation
Tell your ma-ma-ma-ma, tell your pa-pa-pa-pa everything's gonna be all right
Can't you feel it? Don't ignore it
Everything's gonna be alright
I say, revolution rocks
There's that old cheese grater
Rubbing me down
This must be the way out
Here's the cheap bit
Ooh la ooh la ooh la
Any song you want
Playing requests now on the bandstand
El Clash Combo
Paid fifteen dollars a day
Weddings, parties, anything
And Bongo Jazz a speciality
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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 think this song talks about letting music in general (but particularly this song) take over shit that goes on in your life instead of being like "Clyde", and also when Joe sings out "I've seen people shoot their days away, I've seen talent thrown away" (even though it's not listed in the above lyrics, he says it toward the end of the song), that really speaks to me. I'd write more but I have to pee.