"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.
Throwing candy out to the crowd
Dragging down the main
The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth
Who's always got something to say
You're sitting around at home now
Waiting for your brother to call
I saw him down in the alley
Having had enough of it all
Said, "You can do what you want to
Whenever you want to
You can do what you want to
There's no one to stop you"
All spit and spite, you're up all night
And down every day
A tired man with only hours to go
Just waiting to be taken away
Getting into the back of a car
For candy from some stranger
Watching the parade with pinpoint eyes
Full of smoldering anger
You can do what you want to
Whenever you want to
You can do what you want to
There's no one to stop you
Now, you can do what you want to
Whenever you want to (oh, yeah)
Do what you want to
Whenever you want to (oh, yeah)
Do what you want to
Whenever you want to
Though it doesn't mean a thing
Big nothing
Dragging down the main
The helpless little thing with the dirty mouth
Who's always got something to say
You're sitting around at home now
Waiting for your brother to call
I saw him down in the alley
Having had enough of it all
Said, "You can do what you want to
Whenever you want to
You can do what you want to
There's no one to stop you"
All spit and spite, you're up all night
And down every day
A tired man with only hours to go
Just waiting to be taken away
Getting into the back of a car
For candy from some stranger
Watching the parade with pinpoint eyes
Full of smoldering anger
You can do what you want to
Whenever you want to
You can do what you want to
There's no one to stop you
Now, you can do what you want to
Whenever you want to (oh, yeah)
Do what you want to
Whenever you want to (oh, yeah)
Do what you want to
Whenever you want to
Though it doesn't mean a thing
Big nothing
Lyrics submitted by EnjOy IncUbus, edited by Jate
Ballad of Big Nothing Lyrics as written by Steven Paul Smith
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Definitely about drugs, specifically opiates/heroin.
Candy = drugs, etc, blah blah blah, getting into the back of a car = drug deal., etc, I'm sure 50 other comments explain it. I wrote a full analysis and then the site "went terribly wrong" in its own words and I lost the whole things, so I'll just focus on:
Why is it about Heroin and not some other drug?
"Watching the parade with pinpoint eyes full of smoldering anger"
That line.
Pinpoint eyes -- opiates/heroin are one of the only drugs which cause pupils to constrict. This is known as eyes being "pinpoint" or "pinned out".
Full of smoldering anger -- extreme irritability, agitation, and rage are common side effects of Heroin/Opiate use. Anyone who is close with someone who does this type of drug, or has done it will know exactly what Smith is referring to here.
With this one line it's insane to think this song isn't (at least partially) about dope.
Obvious opiate reference.
There you have it.
@mabzie55 BTW I want to add that obviously it's more complex than "just drugs", but opiates are undeniably part of it.