"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.
The sky is burning in this lonely land
And I kneel by the river
And I feel the sand and the wind
The wind from beyond the mountain
The wind from beyond the mountain
And she comes to me in this lonely land
And looks down from the multi-beast
On which she rides like the wind
The wind from beyond the mountain
The wind from beyond the mountain
Tela was born in a vulgar crooked hut
In the shadow of Wilson's castle
Venomous scorn from a life of bitter toil
In the shadow of Wilson's castle
Glory esteem fueled by her hatred it grew
Swelling to the point where it would
Burst at the seems
There was nothing she could do
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
A lullaby the breezes whisper
And I look into her eyes
And my frozen heart begins to thaw
And burns, 'til layer after layer
Melts away into a pool
A sky blue mirror of her eyes
And my soul is made of marble
But in her gaze I crumble into dust
And drift away on the wind
The wind from beyond the mountain
The wind from beyond the mountain
Tela grew strong from her struggle
To endure in the shadow of Wilson's castle
Time touched her wounds
And shelter proved the cure
In the shadow of Wilson's castle
Each passing day seemed to feed
The brazen serpent locked inside
And liberate the spirit
She'd concealed for so long
There was no place left to hide
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
A lullaby the breezes whisper
And I kneel by the river
And I feel the sand and the wind
The wind from beyond the mountain
The wind from beyond the mountain
And she comes to me in this lonely land
And looks down from the multi-beast
On which she rides like the wind
The wind from beyond the mountain
The wind from beyond the mountain
Tela was born in a vulgar crooked hut
In the shadow of Wilson's castle
Venomous scorn from a life of bitter toil
In the shadow of Wilson's castle
Glory esteem fueled by her hatred it grew
Swelling to the point where it would
Burst at the seems
There was nothing she could do
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
A lullaby the breezes whisper
And I look into her eyes
And my frozen heart begins to thaw
And burns, 'til layer after layer
Melts away into a pool
A sky blue mirror of her eyes
And my soul is made of marble
But in her gaze I crumble into dust
And drift away on the wind
The wind from beyond the mountain
The wind from beyond the mountain
Tela grew strong from her struggle
To endure in the shadow of Wilson's castle
Time touched her wounds
And shelter proved the cure
In the shadow of Wilson's castle
Each passing day seemed to feed
The brazen serpent locked inside
And liberate the spirit
She'd concealed for so long
There was no place left to hide
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
Tela Tela jewel of Wilson's foul domain
A lullaby the breezes whisper
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great song
Tela is not a spy and for all you doubters heres a little somethin' for ya ihoz.com/Tela.html