"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.
If she only knew
What I knew but couldn't say
If she could just see
The part of me that I hid away
If I could just hold her in my arms again
And just say I love you
But she's gone away, maybe she'd say
If she'd only knew
If she could just feel
What I feel here in my heart
She'd know it was real
Pure and true right from the start
But I'm just a man who didn't understand
What she was going through
But she's gone away, maybe she'd stay
If she only knew
And how, how did I let her get away
Cause love, love is so easy to feel
But the hardest thing to say
If she could just see
What I see when I close my eyes
All that I dream
Surely she would realize
But like a fool I waited much too long
To let her know the truth
She's gone away, maybe she'd stay
If she only knew
Tell me tell me how
How did I let her get away
Cause I guess love
Love is so easy to feel
But the hardest thing to say
If she only knew
What I knew but couldn't say
If she could just see
The part of me that I hid away
If I could just hold her in my arms again
And just say I love you
She's gone away, maybe she'd stay
If she only knew
If she only knew
What I knew but couldn't say
If she could just see
The part of me that I hid away
If I could just hold her in my arms again
And just say I love you
But she's gone away, maybe she'd say
If she'd only knew
If she could just feel
What I feel here in my heart
She'd know it was real
Pure and true right from the start
But I'm just a man who didn't understand
What she was going through
But she's gone away, maybe she'd stay
If she only knew
And how, how did I let her get away
Cause love, love is so easy to feel
But the hardest thing to say
If she could just see
What I see when I close my eyes
All that I dream
Surely she would realize
But like a fool I waited much too long
To let her know the truth
She's gone away, maybe she'd stay
If she only knew
Tell me tell me how
How did I let her get away
Cause I guess love
Love is so easy to feel
But the hardest thing to say
If she only knew
What I knew but couldn't say
If she could just see
The part of me that I hid away
If I could just hold her in my arms again
And just say I love you
She's gone away, maybe she'd stay
If she only knew
If she only knew
Lyrics submitted by Heather1225
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