"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.
People are in big confusion
They don't like their constitutions
Everyday they draw conclusions
And they're still prepared for war
Some can say what's ineffective
Some make up themselves attractive
Build up things they call protective
Well your life seems quite bizarre
In the sky a mighty eagle
Doesn't care 'bout what's illegal
On its wings the rainbow's light
It's flying to eternity
Eagle fly free
Let people see
Just make it your own way
Leave time behind
Follow the sign
Together we'll fly someday
Hey, we think so supersonic
And we make our bombs atomic
Or the better quite neutronic
But the poor don't see a dime
Nowadays the air's polluted
Ancient people persecuted
That's what mankind contributed
To create a better time
In the sky a mighty eagle
Doesn't care 'bout what's illegal
On its wings the rainbow's light
It's flying to eternity
Eagle fly free
Let people see
Just make it your own way
Leave time behind
Follow the sign
Together we'll fly someday
In the sky a mighty eagle
Doesn't care 'bout what's illegal
On its wings the rainbow's light
It's flying to eternity
Eagle fly free
Let people see
Just make it your own way
Leave time behind
Follow the sign
Together we'll fly someday
Together we'll fly someday
Forever we'll fly
Together we'll fly
Forever we'll fly someday oh oh oh
They don't like their constitutions
Everyday they draw conclusions
And they're still prepared for war
Some can say what's ineffective
Some make up themselves attractive
Build up things they call protective
Well your life seems quite bizarre
In the sky a mighty eagle
Doesn't care 'bout what's illegal
On its wings the rainbow's light
It's flying to eternity
Eagle fly free
Let people see
Just make it your own way
Leave time behind
Follow the sign
Together we'll fly someday
Hey, we think so supersonic
And we make our bombs atomic
Or the better quite neutronic
But the poor don't see a dime
Nowadays the air's polluted
Ancient people persecuted
That's what mankind contributed
To create a better time
In the sky a mighty eagle
Doesn't care 'bout what's illegal
On its wings the rainbow's light
It's flying to eternity
Eagle fly free
Let people see
Just make it your own way
Leave time behind
Follow the sign
Together we'll fly someday
In the sky a mighty eagle
Doesn't care 'bout what's illegal
On its wings the rainbow's light
It's flying to eternity
Eagle fly free
Let people see
Just make it your own way
Leave time behind
Follow the sign
Together we'll fly someday
Together we'll fly someday
Forever we'll fly
Together we'll fly
Forever we'll fly someday oh oh oh
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Fast Car
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Great version of a great song,
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